Sex Sells
by Painted With a Palette
Summary: Meet Xion, a tomboyish, cynical, sassy, and openly crude girl from Twilight Town trying to make ends meet by offering her services, shamelessly catering to the male demographic both in and out of her high school. Everyone seems to be down for it, save for one exception: a goofy blond kid with self-proclaimed expertise in eccentricity and the art of trolling. AU.
1. Shameless

**Chapter 1**

While I would love to adhere to the golden "show, don't tell" rule and detail an elegant portrait of my current countenance, unfortunately, I wasn't anointed with some supernatural ability to examine my own facial expressions in great detail without the aid of mirrors or reflections. So, let me break it to you this way:

I'm pissed.

For the record, I'm only mildly pissed. I'm pissed, but it could potentially be worse. Like, I'm not seething from the mouth or anything. On a scale of one to Satan, I'm a solid 6.5 out of ten. I'm not quite at the stage of boiling inside a pot of water with a scorching froth that threatens to blister your skin, but more like a bag of microwave popcorn that slowly but surely expands with every kernel that snaps kind of pissed. You know?

If you haven't noticed by now, I suck at metaphors.

Maybe I'd be singing a different tune if this were the first time I've been blatantly withheld from what I was owed by a customer, but it isn't. Isn't it sad that I'm already getting used to it? What even _is_ my life? It's something I ask myself rather frequently. But I deal with jerks like this all the time, so I'd like to think my tolerance is rather high all things considered. Depending on what kind of crowd you're associated with, Twilight High can be cold and callous. There are many nice, respectful guys who ask for my... ahem, services, and pay handsomely for my efforts without trying to take advantage of my situation. And there's also an equal amount of self-centered bastards with the audacity to take advantage of every crevice and cranny of my desperation for money. Most of the time, it doesn't work. But there's always that one guy who gets me all worked up. Let's just say that this is one of those times.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Axel?" I exclaim, placing my fists on my hips authoritatively.

Axel, with his spiky red hair that I could swear is erect with an insanitary amount of hair product, flashes a devilish smirk as if he's claimed some sort of unspoken victory. "You know, Xion, you're kinda adorable when you're pissed." He winks while smacking on bubblegum, the sound equating to wet putty being pounded by a hammer. My lack of a reaction makes him sigh tiredly.

I clutch the insufficient amount of money in my hand and shove it in his face. The biggest offense was that he thought I was stupid enough to notice. What a way to indirectly insult my intelligence. "Really? Three-hundred dollars?"

He pauses as if waiting for further elaboration. "And your point is...?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose and inhale. "We agreed on five-hundred."

"Okay...?"

"As in, you're two-hundred dollars short."

He blinks. "Not following."

"Do you _want_ to get smacked?" Dial it down, Xion. I don't need to get my blood pressure up over this guy. Okay, so the whole tolerance thing might have been a slight discrepancy within the narrative. But you see what I have to put up with, right? This guy is a tool. And yet, here I am in the middle of a very small and cramped music room, only slightly more spacious than a janitor's closet, preparing to auction off my services in return for a couple hundred bucks.

Axel wears an offputting ambiance of which I'm unfortunately quite familiar with. It's as if the urban dictionary puked the word "sleaze" and it mutated into this bastard of a human being. But with great reluctance, I admit that he is cute and rich, and I, shallow and desperate. I mean, do I get points for honesty at least? For the average client, this wouldn't be such a big deal. My issue is that Axel Flynn is not the average client and he certainly did not have the decency to negotiate this price drop beforehand.

"So you're PMSing?" Axel asks, breaking me out of my reverie.

I pause for a moment before crinkling my nose with disgust. "What?"

"PMS," he clarifies, pulling out his phone in what I assume to be him tapping away at the search bar on Google. "Premenstrual syndrome. Somethin' about the physical and emotional indications that occur in a woman durin' a two week period—"

"I know what it is, you idiot," I interrupt bitterly. "Wow. And here I thought a stupid joke like that would be beneath you. I guess I should make a mental note to not expect much from spoiled brats that have had good fortune handed to them ever since they were in diapers."

He feigns a pained expression and places a hand on his chest dramatically. "Ouch. Y'know, that one _almost_ hurt."

"You don't seem to be very self-aware," I growl in response. "Otherwise, you'd notice that I'm not in the mood to play these stupid little games of yours."

"Apologies." He removes his red blazer with an unsubtle attempt at flexing. "I forgot, must be pretty hard bein' the popular chick."

I scoff. "Me? You must've forgotten who you're talking to."

"'Course I didn't," he says while miming a blowjob with his left hand. "You suck. Pun intended."

"Hilarious." I roll my eyes. "Somehow, I thought that kind of humor was beneath you."

Popular? Far from it. Sure, I may have a certain reputation held in high regard among the male demographic in particular. But that doesn't mean people _like_ me; there's a difference. I like to believe my idea of taking advantage of the raging hormones and insatiable lust that plagues the average adolescent by giving blowjobs behind the bleachers and consenting to penetration in smelly ass hotel suites during the weekend and the back of crusty vans in return for money is a brilliant concept in the aftermath of some grand sexual revolution for women's rights for liberation.

Spoiler alert: it's not.

Don't judge me, okay? Put yourself in my shoes. After years of recurring daily annoyances such as desperately hoisting your jeans over the obnoxious camel rump commonly referred to as your derriere in which you worked hard for through bouts of lunge and squat training, combined with numerous instances of underboob sweat seeping at the most ironically inconvenient times (I shudder at the thought of prom last year), you decide to put those overrated puppies to some actual use and make easy money off them. You'd think wouldn't be a big deal. It's my body, after all. In an ideal world, I'd be able to do whatever I want with my body as I please. But sadly, reality has a way of cruelly reminding you that there are no such luxuries such as respect or consideration without the cost of a few bad apples. Not to mention that you've got cheap bastards like the guy standing before you and you wonder why you're risking suspension by agreeing to meet him in a restricted area before the first period.

"You know this is prostitution, right?" he continues. "How's that make you feel?"

Beginning to feel my annoyance settle back in, I swiftly pinch him by the ear and ignore his pleas without remorse. "Did you pay to be my therapist? I don't do this for fun I do this because there's no other choice."

Axel swipes away at my hand with his own expression of perturbance. At least we're even. "And it's got absolutely _nothin'_ to do with your libido, right? Otherwise, I'd surmise you woulda sent an application to a local burger joint by now."

"What a hypocrite," I return with a snarl. "You want to talk about libidos. Did we forget who's paying for this little rendezvous?"

I smile triumphantly at the defeated glower on his face. "Hey, man. I can't help it. My penis is the overlord of my cognition and I have to relieve its desire as soon as possible. The urge to reproduce compels me," he says in a dramatic voice. "You women just don't understand, man."

"Uh huh," I reply lazily, hardly listening while finding my non-manicured nails to be infinitely more interesting than his babble. Seriously, I feel like I've heard this spiel a million times from a million different guys at this point.

"But I gotta thank you for makin' it easy for me," he says with a mischievous chuckle. "This is way more convenient than havin' to always put the moves on a chick. It can be a hassle, you know? First, you gotta plan your first course of action and be all witty and charming. Then you gotta _listen_ to them and you have to actually, like, _care_ and shit. It's hard work, man."

I place a hand on my chest while feigning concern. "You poor dear."

"Be grateful," he continues, glowering at my sarcasm. "I could nab any chick I wanted. But I was in a spending mood and chose to expend some of my wallet on you out of the kindness of my heart since I figured you could use the extra cash."

He isn't the first either. I honestly find it a bit surprising and I've never understood why all of these guys are willing to pay me for something they could probably get for free elsewhere. I've quietly chocked it up to dumb luck but it's starting to become too frequent to call it a coincidence anymore. "Why is that, exactly?"

He looks towards the ceiling as if it has an answer waiting for him. "That's a good question. Dunno. There's somethin' different about you. You're not like the other girls."

If that isn't the most tired line in the history of tired lines. "Gee, never heard that before."

"Believe it or not, I'm bein' serious. You're not as strenuous. I can just talk to you like you're anybody else." He eyes me up and down before winking suggestively. "'Course, your bod is a decent enough incentive." Ugh. Can't he at least _try_ to downplay the sleaziness? I don't mind suggestive dialogue, but for the love of choco, at least try to be subtle about it.

"Explain why I'm two-hundred dollars short," I say, before my thoughts and this conversation get offtrack any further.

"C'mon, admit it. You're a nymph. It's okay, I like 'em a little freaky." He licks his lips seductively (rather, creepily). "Get me?"

"Axel," I deadpan.

"Nothin' to be ashamed about. Which dog gave it to you so good that it made you fall in love gettin' in-between the sheets? Dude must be a legend."

"Axel."

He sighs, using a hand to drag his face. "You sure know how to give a guy a good time. Sarcasm," he clarifies while pulling a can of beer out of his backpack.

"Screw you."

"Well, that's what I wanted you to do this entire time. But apparently, you'd rather waste our precious time whinin' about an itty bitty cut."

"Itty bitty?" I ask in awe. "Since when was a two-hundred dollar cut considered itty bitty?"

"Well—"

"Nevermind." I groan. "Almost forgot who I'm talking to—a cocky, arrogant, and painfully cliché rich kid who owns their own personalized yacht at the ripe age of seventeen while being only a couple years away from inheriting their father's company who regularly takes their own wealth and lavish lifestyle for granted. Of course, two-hundred isn't a big deal to you."

Axel rubs his chin suggestively, nodding with approval. "Impressive. Ever thought of bein' my publicist?" I clench my fists and glare threateningly, making him draw back upon noticing my impending frustration. "S-Sorry. Bad joke," he says with a sheepish smile. After a brief moment of staring, he breaks the silence with an exhausted sigh. "Why're you makin' such a fuss about this, anyway?"

"So I'm supposed to just let you gyp me? We agreed on five-hundred and you're acting like I'm complaining about being a penny short. You _know_ I need the money. What's worse is that you didn't even have the decency to negotiate this beforehand."

He hushes at the sudden inflation of my volume while peeking out the door. "Hey, man. Keep it down. 'Less you wanna get caught. I know Sebastian doesn't come back 'till third period but it ain't worth the risk."

I gesture to our cramped environment. "Look where we are, Axel. If you haven't noticed, we're already at risk. Did we forget that it was your dumb idea to do this during school hours in the first place? And the smell of a tyrannical tidal wave of Axe body spray isn't helping."

His face contorts into a scowl. "Hey man, don't diss the Axe. Double entendre." I fold my arms and narrow my gaze. "Can't you just be grateful for three-hundred?" he asks in hypocritically whiny tone. "Besides, isn't your usual price a hundred and fifty? Why do I hafta cough up so much extra just to put my dick in your vagina?"

"Because your allowance is two grand a month and you own a personalized yacht," I remind.

"Good point." He takes another swig of his beer. "Hey, have you noticed the way yacht is spelled? Is it just me, or does it look weird? Y.A.C.H.T. Like it looks like somebody is gaggin' on their own finger or somethin'."

I don't have time for games. If he thinks I'm going to humor him by getting on my knees and begging for his graciousness, he's got the wrong girl. I make a turn for the door but before I can even grab hold of the knob, he quickly obstructs my path.

"Hey, hey! Where ya goin'?"

I feel my forehead weigh down. "You obviously aren't taking this seriously and insist on wasting my time. So, if you don't mind, I'll be going. I have better things to do."

He shrugs and extends his palm. "Then give me my money back."

Damn it. I reluctantly retrieve the three-hundred dollars from the pockets of my faux leather jacket. Am I a bad person for internally praying that he would just forget about the fact that I had his money and that he'd just let me out scot-free without having to refund? Actually, please don't answer that.

He lets out a long exhale, massaging the back of his neck with a slight snarl. "Women..." he mumbles. "This is totally killin' the vibe. Look, if it'll get you take a chill pill, I'll tell ya why I cut two-hundred."

To physically communicate my impatience, I cock my hip to the side and fold my arms, narrowing my eyebrows while staring directly at him. "...I'm listening."

He chugs the rest of his beer and crushes the empty can with both palms. "I crashed my car, alright? Wouldn't be a big deal if my old man just took care of it for me, but he insists I do it myself. Somethin' about taking responsibility or some shit. So I have to save as much as I can. That's business, babe. If you can't accept that, I can take my money back and walk my sweet, firm ass right out this door. Take it or leave it."

I guess I shouldn't have expected much. It's not the first time some asshole has attempted to take advantage of me, but I don't recall ever losing before. For the first time, my back is against a wall. And I'm pretty sure things aren't looking too good back at home right now either.

"Besides, rumor has it that you're lookin' to get your hands on anything you can get," Axel claims.

"Way to make me sound desperate."

He nonchalantly raises his eyebrows, as if testing me. "Do you deny it?"

I bite my lip to that one. He's right, I can't afford to refuse revenue at this point, no matter how big or small. At the end of the day, three-hundred is better than zero. Welcome to my life, folks. It's brimming with assholes and jackasses. I suppose I can't really complain, though. Considering my (technically illegal) occupation, it's only inevitable that I run into people like this from time to time. Looks like I don't have much of a choice.

Besides, he's right about one thing. I'm not only in this for the money. So _maybe_ I like a good dicking every now and then, okay? Is that really so wrong? Feel free to judge me accordingly. I can just chock my decision-making up to desperation and sexual frustration. Accepting my defeat, I stuff the money into my jacket pockets once again and slump in defeat, albeit slightly.

He seems pleased with his triumph. I can't believe I have to swallow this. Both literally and figuratively. "Good girl."

"Quiet. Before I change my mind."

He smiles apologetically. "Would it help if I made it up to ya down the road?"

"It would help if that were honest."

He pulls up a chair and spreads his legs. "Sheesh. Have a little faith, would ya? I got you, babe! Next time," he adds quietly.

I give a deadpan look. "Just dig your grave even deeper, why don't you?"

"C'mon." He shrugs. "Better late than never, right?"

I roll my eyes and descend to my knees—begrudgingly, might I add? I unzip his fly and a flimsy phallus dangles before my nose. Upon instinct, I flinch with disgust. "Are you seriously going commando?"

He grins. "Never hurts to come prepared."

I shake my head. "You disgust me."

He smirks. "Can you really talk? Doesn't look like you have a bra on."

...'Kay. Point for him.

With the way he carries himself like he's the bees knees, I expected him to be packing quite the punch down here. I have to say, I'm slightly underwhelmed. Too much bees, and not enough knees. The size itself is pretty average. Not that size always matters. It's just that since these kinds of guys have a tendency to act like their penises are sacred kings erect with pride and dignity, I tend to have high expectations. At least I can say Axel himself isn't too bad-looking. Still doesn't make up for his narcissism, but gimme a break. I blame the given superficiality to adolescence and hormones.

I tell Axel to relax before I get down to business. I have a formula for these kinds of salty-smelling phalluses to make the experience a bit more tolerable. I can't say I necessarily dislike doing it. The way I see it, it's far from pleasure but it's far from pain as well. It's just part of the job. The key is to not think of it as a job, but more as—an adventure.

I deeply apologize for making you cringe, but you're gonna have to deal with a little cringe when dealing with me. If you want to suck dick, you have to go into it looking to give your partner a true experience. You can't just try to get it over with. Embrace the dick. Imagine it's sea-salt ice cream if you have to. I like to graze my mouth against him while stroking it, taking in an inch at a time. When it comes to giving pleasure professionally, you have to come up with formulas for success. A happy customer equals a happy bank account.

Axel shudders with pleasure at my technique. Hook, line, and sinker. This should be an easy three-hundred dollars.

Well, that's what I thought until the door decided to slam open and destroy any concentration I once had. The sudden sound forces an unintentional scream out of me. If it's a teacher, I'm screwed – and not in the fun way.

I'm nearly blinded by the light of the hallway. An intimidating silhouette stands tall in the midst of a dramatically white backdrop. I shriek and instinctively bury my head into the pit of my arms. Just when I was starting to think my shitty morning couldn't get any worse.

"There you are! Geez, I've been looking all over for you!"

Wait a minute. If there were ever a voice I knew like the back of my hand, it'd be this one. I slowly lift my head from my crouched position to find her standing in the door frame as I finally make out the individual in full once the smoke clears. Her body language exudes impatience. Yup. Kairi Hart, with her signature auburn tresses falling to her shoulders, framing her clearly irritated frown. I know exactly what that look means. I'm in for a lecture. Yay.

Axel shoots from his seat. "Whoa ho, Xion! I didn't know you were hookin' me up for a threesome!" He eyes her up and down and rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Y'know man, it's been awhile since I've had a redhead."

I slap my forehead. This guy must really have a death wish.

Kairi sends me a glare. "Really?"

"Kairi, get out of here," I shout. "This is strictly business."

She folds her arms stubbornly with a huff. "Xion, I've tried to back off and let you do whatever you want, I really, totally, seriously have. But I can't take this anymore! I'm sorry, but I'm cutting the plug on this one."

With clenched fists, she marches in and rolls up the sleeves of her immaculately designed pink and black cardigan. A glance at the petite girl wouldn't make you suspect that she's actually a badass who's trained in martial arts. But that's her secret weapon.

Axel, in his brain-dead stupidity, finds the audacity to take a stance against her path of rage and determination. "Wait a minute, Kai—"

"Shut it!" Axel lets out a painful yelp, kneeling over while cupping his manhood. "If I hear one more frickin' word out of that shit-eating abomination you call a mouth, I'm gonna make it a top priority to ensure that your kids never see the light of day. You got that?"

As he looks into a cold glare fabricated from nightmares, Axel shrinks and protects his groin. I'll admit, there's something satisfying about seeing a thirsty ass fuqboi on the verge of tears. Am I evil for that? "W-What does that mean?"

"Oh, you know exactly what it means." She squints and pounds her fist into her palm. "Get out."

A bit over the top? Yes, I agree. But that's just Kairi Hart for you. Sweet and naïve on the outside, with a merciless hardcore thug life hidden within.

At his exit, Kairi directs her attention towards me with an inevitable scowl. I smile bashfully with futile hope that she'll just let it go and we can continue our day like normal, but she shakes her head.

I sigh and pick myself up from the ground, dusting off my leggings. "Thanks for helping me up, by the way."

Her shoulders slump with a pout. She's back to normal. "You weren't actually planning on... doing _it_ with that creep, were you? And do I even want to know what you were doing just now?"

"Don't worry about it. I was just inspecting his pubic hairs."

She squints. "Is that sarcasm? You know I'm not good at detecting sarcasm." I groan and pick up my bag, making my way into the hallway with Kairi following me behind. "H-Hey! Wait up!"

Her voice transitions into background noise as I trod down the hallway aimlessly. It's the same old routine. We roam through the school hallways while she blabbers on and on about the dangers of being sexually active like a walking 101-course on abstinence. I'm sure I could paraphrase one of her lectures at this point.

"You're ridiculous, you know that?" she continues. "I mean, come on. Axel frickin' Fujiwara Flynn? Do you want chlamydia?"

"You really think I'd have sex with Axel because of his charming personality?" I add with makeshift quotation marks over the word charming. "He's the heir to Fujiwara Corporations. Why would I say no to that?"

"He's not _that_ rich," she mumbles quietly to the side with a puffy, but stubborn pout.

I give her a dull and utterly spiritless expression. "He treated everyone to a huge party at his personal getaway resort with hot tubs, swimming pools, freakishly large entertainment systems, and a bowling alley."

Kairi bites her lip. "Y-Yeah, but—"

"He was sixteen."

She opens her mouth to retort, but accepts defeat and draws back. I smirk victoriously. "Shut up," she deadpans.

"Who told you where we were, anyway?"

"Nobody," she answers. "You think I can't figure you out by this point? After twelve years, I'd be ashamed of myself if I _didn't_ know you like the back of my hand. Just had to use some of my mad detective skills to—"

"It was Selphie, wasn't it?"

She pauses. "Pfft, no."

It was totally Selphie. Pretty obvious considering she's our resident gossip girl. She probably spotted me talking to Axel in the lobby between classes yesterday and told Kairi. I guess it didn't take Kairi long to figure it out since she caught me in the music room with Dilan before. I need to find new and better meetup spots at less inconvenient times, don't I?

"I'm sorry, I just don't like seeing you do this," she says.

"What else am I supposed to do? Just not put money on the table?"

"How about you not contract an STD while doing it?" she bites back. "It's not that I want to be _that_ person who comes off as a self-righteous holier than thou snob who thinks they know what's best for you, but haven't you ever heard of these revolutionary things called... jobs?"

"Are you invalidating my own personal choice in what I do for a living?" I ask, slightly offended.

Kairi darts her eyes around as if some invisible force will magically grant her an answer eventually. "Y-Yes...?"

I sigh at the lackluster response. "I tried, remember? Didn't work out too well. Besides, it's not just about the money. A girl can have her urges."

She gasps at the horror. "Xion! Hast thou no shame?"

"Oh, hush." I roll my eyes. "Aren't you the one always asking me to tell you stories about all the guys I've been with?"

Her cheeks go red. "C-Can't a girl get curious?" she mumbles, twiddling her thumbs. "Look, I'm sorry if I sound a little, well... uh, insensitive. You know I love you and support your decisions all the way. But that doesn't mean I have to like them. It's just weird, okay? I remember when we were drinking out of sippy cups at recess and now you're talking about... doing _it_. Not to mention, for money. Which is totally illegal for a minor, by the way!"

"Don't yell at me!" I shout back with a pout.

She groans. "So, I'm sorry for being a bit uncomfortable."

"Well, I'm very sorry that you feel uncomfortable, but I don't want to hold myself back due to some antiquated standard set by society. I'm not ashamed of my sexuality. I'd like to think that I've become quite sexually liberated."

"Sexually liberated?" she repeats, though it rolls off her tongue with skepticism. "Well, I'm sorry, but if sexually liberated means you have to be - and you know I love you so please don't take offense because I only say this because I care - a buck forty hoe, then I think it's time we start up an intervention!"

I gasp, pretending to be offended. "A buck forty? I do not come with such a cheap price!" I step in front of her path and strike a pose with one hand on my waist and the other behind my head. "I'd say a buck seventy-five, at most." She blinks without a ghost of a smile. "What? Lost your sense of humor?"

"Xion," she whines. "I'm trying to be serious. You've been at this for months, and I've done my best to keep my big mouth shut, but this is too much. I've had to constantly bail you out. You can't expect me to just sit back and watch my best friend destroy their life."

"Destroy?" I chuckle. "Don't you think that's pushing it? Just a little? It's just sex."

"It's dangerous! You don't know what kind of person you might end up coming across. I'm not worried about you, I'm worried what others might do to you. You can't just trust some of these guys at face value. You _have_ to understand that," she says almost pleadingly. Her concerned gaze breaks my heart a little. She really is worried about this. "I mean, I can totally pull some strings and get you a job at the ramen place I work at. I'll recommend you to Mr. Highwind. It's got to be safer than selling yourself out to a bunch of creeps. Plus, we can work weekends together! Wouldn't that be cool?" She gleams at me eagerly with doe eyes. "Pleeeaase?"

I gently push her back a few inches. "I'm not cut out for jobs like that. Again, do you remember last year?"

She sighs and slumps her shoulders in defeat. "Yeah..."

"Besides, I can earn up to almost eight hundred a month with this semi-prostitution thing. A little bit of negotiation and I can even get up to the thousands. I get that it can be a little dangerous since most of my clients are outside of school, but I have Shiki to protect me. I'm totally fine."

"I'm sorry, but does everything you say just go in one ear and out the other? Listen to yourself. Prostitution! You're in high school!"

"A _senior_ in high school," I clarify. "I'm a few months from turning eighteen in February. I'm practically an adult."

"For the love of choco," she exasperates with a groan. "I guess there's no talking you out of it, huh?"

I put a stop to our side-by-side pace to class and place my hands on her shoulders, giving her a genuinely gracious smile. "No, it is seriously beyond sweet of you, but you worry too much. It's not even going to be a permanent thing. I think you underestimate me sometimes."

"It's just - I dunno. I'm sorry, but I just worry about you sometimes. I always get this awful feeling whenever I think about it. I mean, ever since my mom left us last year, it hasn't been the same around the house. Dad's been in and out. When I try to get his attention, his mind is always somewhere else. You're all the family I have left and if something ever happened to you..."

"Aww, don't start." I envelope her into a hug and she returns the favor. "I'm not going anywhere," I speak into her ear. "I'll always be with you. Nothing will change that. But things aren't exactly going smoothly on my end, either. If we don't make these payments, my family is on the streets. I have to do something."

"I guess..." She sighs and offers a slightly irritated glower. "But why does it have to be this?"

"You got a better idea?" I interrupt her before she can make her obvious suggestion. "And no, I won't apply to Shoyu Shoyu."

She accepts defeat with a slight frown. "I'm sorry, but you better know what you're doing."

"I got this, girl!" I grin. "Sister from a different mister?"

She gags. "That is so cringe. You know I hate when you say that." Eventually, she gives in and settles into a gentle smile. "Alright. Sisters from a different mister. Also, I'm sorry, but you're totally treating me to a paopu smoothie after school."

I frown. "I told you, stop saying you're sorry all the time. It's a bad habit."

"Sorry." I cast her a glare. "Oh, sorry! Wait, no - I mean... sorry."

I sigh, but can't help but smile. "What am I going to do with you?"

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

A paopu smoothie imported from Destiny Islands has always been the perfect remedy to ease my scatterbrained best friend's worries. It's not like Twilight Town has much else to offer. It's a community that embraces modesty. I realize this as Kairi and I exit the bus and make our way down the avenue that leads to my street, sipping paopu smoothies all the while. The streaks of orange rays cast against a caramel sky sets the mood perfectly. You'd think I'd love it here, but it's pretty boring.

We approach my house and I retrieve my keys from my jacket pockets. We decided to "study" after school today, though that honestly just translates to us being unproductive while binging Netflix until her curfew. I open the door and - ack, gross. I immediately shield my eyes from the horrifying sight of my idiot brother shirtless, a toothbrush dangling from his mouth and a Struggle bat on his shoulder.

Kairi, on the other hand, seems to be in wonderland. "Xion..."

"Yeah?"

"...I think I finally hit puberty."

Oh, geez. Not this again.

"Put some clothes on, Sora," I say with genuine disgust. "Nobody needs to see that."

Kairi gulps. "I object," she mumbles, though Sora doesn't seem to hear her.

Sora gives a borderline cocky grin. "You know if we weren't related, you'd be all over me."

I gag, swallowing my lunch back down my throat. "Please, don't enlighten us to your twisted fantasies. I really didn't need to know you were into incest."

He ruffles up my hair, mostly because he knows I hate when he does that. "Aww, I love you too, kid."

I shove him away and pat my hair back down. "Why are you shirtless, anyway?"

"Just got done training for the Struggle tournament. I'm winning us the prize next summer, Xion. I can feel it!"

I roll my eyes. "Didn't you feel it the past three summers?"

"This time, for sure! And if not, at least I can say I did my best. Right?" He ties his hands behind his head with that shit-eating grin of his. Don't let that dorky smile fool you, he's insufferable. He's always acting nice, helpful, selfless, and the most perfect human being to everyone else but then acts like a total dickbag of a brother when he's around us. And Kairi just had have a crush on him. Isn't that right, irony? God, I hate him.

"I-I think you'll do great, Sora!"

"Thanks," Sora says excitedly. "Seeee? Kairi believes in me."

I give him a dim expression. "Haven't you ever thought about why she might always be rooting for you and cheering you on?"

He backs up and scratches his head. "Should I?"

I hear Kairi squeak. "I-It's nothing! Don't mind her—"

"You are so dense," I cut her off. After all these years, she still doesn't have the balls to tell this idiot how she feels. "Have you still not noticed the way she looks at you?"

"The way she looks at me...?"

Kairi chuckles nervously. "Silly, Xion! S-She doesn't know what she's talking about! Hey, how about we go up to your room?" She gives me a death glare when Sora isn't paying attention while tugging on my arm.

"Okay, hold your horses," I say after getting her off. "You don't even have to worry about him figuring anything out anyway. He's clueless."

"About what?" he asks, scratching his head.

She casts a nervous smile to Sora with a meek wave, and he waves back, clueless to her the romantic implications that follow. It's getting really tiresome having to watch their nonexistent romance develop over the years.

"Alright, alright, move, move," I say, pushing Kairi up the stairs. "Just go to my room. I'll be there in a second." She gives a pouty face before begrudgingly making her way upstairs. Once she's out of earshot, I turn to Sora ready to scold him for being doofus of the year.

"What?"

"You're not very smart, are you?"

"You could tell me what you're talking about, you know."

I groan. "My point exactly. Look, just go away and do whatever you do, will you? You better make that girl my sister-in-law someday."

"W-What...?"

I walk away before he can ask any more dumb questions. I set my bag and the money I got from Axel on the kitchen table before peeking into the living room; it's separated by two sliding doors. As I expected, he's sprawled out on the couch yet again with the TV blaring. His long, black hair cascades over his face and that damn bandanna, that he refuses to take off, hovers over one eye while snoozes his afternoon away. He looks like a fool, but I still can't fight back a smile.

I turn the TV off and take a seat beside him in the small space left on the couch, making sure not to mess with the cast on his right leg.

"Pssst," I hiss. "Hey, Vince. Viiince~," I sing, intentionally obnoxious. He stirs out of his nap and opens his eyes. After rapidly blinking himself back into consciousness, he seems to finally recognize me. "Welcome to the land of the living, sleepyhead!"

"Xion...?" he says in a raspy voice. "Is it morning already?"

I lightly tap him on the forehead with my knuckles. "It's four in the afternoon, goofball. Don't tell me you slept all day again."

He perches himself onto his elbows, whipping his hair out of his eyes. "Well, why don't you go out and break your leg in the middle of working on Gummi ships, then come back and tell me what a rollercoaster your daily activities are." He sighs. "If only your mother were around..."

I sigh. "Yeah, if only."

"You plan on visiting her?"

"If I can buy the time."

"Still busy with that mystery job of yours, huh?" He gives a skeptical look while he forces himself to sit up.

"Uh, yeah."

"Still waiting for you to tell me what that mystery job is, and how you get so much money out of it."

I grumble beneath my breath. "Does that really matter? I'm helping us pay bills. Isn't that good enough?"

His stern expression falters slightly as he places a hand on my shoulder. "It doesn't mean anything if I have to deal with my youngest daughter getting hurt. You know how uncomfortable this makes me, but your mother and I always believed in allowing you kids to find your own paths, not letting our expectations weigh you down. Still..."

I take his hand into mine. "Look, Vincent—"

"Dad," he corrects. "How many times have we gone over that?"

"Ugh, fine." I prefer to call him by his first name. It makes me feel like we're on equal ground. "Dad, I get it. I get that you're stressed. But I have this under control. You don't need to worry about what I'm doing. I promise you, it's not dangerous. Just a little embarrassing and I don't need Sora coming by to harass me while I'm on the job."

"You make it sound like you're a mascot at the carnival," he says with lingering suspicion set in his tone.

"Maybe, maybe not," I reply with a shrug. "But it's nothing crazy. Trust me, I got this in the bag!"

He chuckles dryly. "You really do take after your brother sometimes."

"What?" I ask, offended. He knows I hate being compared to that little shit.

Dad bursts out laughing; he always seems to get a kick out of getting a reaction out of me. I pout and fold my arms. "I'm just teasing you." After a moment of his laughter dying down, his expression turns grim. "But still, you can't blame me for being worried and suspicious. You're taking advantage of the fact that I'm tied down to the house and can't really follow you around."

"I told you, it's embarrassing. I, uh, just don't want you sending Sora or Shiki up to my job to spy on me or something. I know how you are. And I'd never hear the end of it from them."

"It can't be that bad." He ponders for a moment before speaking up again. "You're not selling drugs, are you?"

The thought of him even suggesting me doing that makes me scowl. "Dad."

"I trust you, Xion. But that's not the point. I'm glad that you're taking responsibility, and you've done a tremendous job. Really, you and your sister have saved our butts more than once. Let's just not forget that I'm still your father."

"I know that, Daddy." I smile. "But I need you to believe in me. You and Yuffie—I-I mean... Mom," I quickly correct before he can scold me again. "You two have spent your whole lives looking after us. I guess I just feel like I should return the favor. If you'll let me...?"

Silence washes the room over for a while as Dad contemplates with his usual skepticism. It's not very fun trying to keep a secret of sex working from an overly protective father, believe me. But coming home with money in my pockets kind of makes it all worthwhile. He's right about one thing, I am taking advantage of the fact that he can't really go hounding around behind my back when he's weighed down by a broken leg. Even so, he eventually sighs in defeat.

"Okay. I'm trusting you... for now. But the moment I detect that something's wrong, you will tell me what you're doing. No matter what I have to do to get it out of you." I smile sheepishly with a nod. Dad isn't someone to disobey. "Until then, I'll rely on you."

"I'll do my best." I pick up his blanket and snake it across his chest. "Now get some rest, Mr. Manly. That leg isn't going to heal itself."

I kiss him on the forehead and he turns to his side, clearing his throat before shutting his eyes. I pick myself up and make my way into the kitchen before his voice interrupts me.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"I'm proud of you, kid."

I frown. "I hate when you call me that."

Even though I can't see it, I'm well aware of the bastard of a smirk currently smeared across his lips. "I know."

"...T-Thanks."

I pull the doors closed with a sigh. I wonder if he'd be so proud if knew exactly what it is that I do to keep a roof over our heads. Times have been tough ever since both Mom and Dad got put out of commission temporarily. Thanks to bullshit benefits plans and insurance policies, there hasn't been much money. Me, my brother, and my sister have each had to step it up. This just so happens to be my way of doing it. I'm just doing what I have to do. So there's no need to feel bad about it. With a renewed resolve, I turn around to—

"XION."

"Gyah!" I squeak. "Shiki, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't sneak up on me like that." Her ear-piercing squeal made me jerk back a little bit and hit my head on the door. Vince is probably cursing under his breath right now.

"Do you really think I ever listen to you?"

"...Touché." It's not like I really listen to her either.

Meet my big sister, Shiki. Surprisingly, she's the oldest out of the three of us. But she certainly doesn't act like it. "Anyway, quit your whining and check this out." She practically shoves her phone screen into my face. It's a picture of some dude with a lusciously bronze tan and long silver hair. That is a fascinating jawline. "Whaddaya think?"

"He's cute. So?"

She slumps at my lackluster response. "Don't be dense. I got us jobs tonight. Both him, and his little brother, who just so happens to be around your age."

Now I'm interested. "Give me the details."

"I met them at the Struggle prelims," she explains. "They're in town for a few months because of some business trip with their parents, and get this, their father is the CEO of Moogle Express. So you know these guys are loaded!"

"Are you serious?" This must be my lucky day. "Is his brother as cute as him?"

"Who, Xehanort? Of course!" Xehanort? That's a funky name. "And before you ask, they agreed to three-hundred if we go to dinner. Five-hundred if we go back to their hotels with them."

Sounds like the perfect way to make up for the whole Axel catastrophe. Plus, rich and cute? I've been hitting the jackpot lately. In hindsight, it helps that Twilight High is such a prestigious school where a handful of wealthy kids end up attending, but getting clients from outside of school is more up my speed. I'll take it.

"So, when do they want to meet us?"

She smirks. "Tonight."

* * *

 **I have no business putting out another story, but I've had this idea since like January. I tried writing the new chapters for Rags To Riches and Lover's Quarrel, but the inspiration just wasn't there. So I came across this document that had been lounging around for the past seven months and I decided to finish it. I quickly got a lot of inspiration and thought up a bunch of ideas!**

 **Just want to keep in mind that I am not glorifying prostitution nor am I degrading it, this is just an idea I had.**

 **Hopefully, this doesn't get too controversial or anything, I don't want my account banned O.o but this story has a lesson to be learned, and damn it, I shall do what I feel is right!**

 **So, what do you think? Would you like to read more? What didn't you like about this and what do you think I should improve on? Let me know in a review and thank you for taking the time to read! I hope you enjoyed!**

 **EDIT: 11/1/16 And if you could be so kind, could you pleeeeasse, pleeease leave a review to let me know what you all think? I would REALLY appreciate the feedback, even if you didn't like this first chapter and aren't interested in continuing, please leave a review letting me know why, please? I really could use the constructive criticism because I just want to get better!**


	2. Hazardous

**Chapter 2**

Friends? Don't make me laugh.

Of course, Kairi is the exception. By default, that makes her my best friend. But we've been inseparable since early childhood, so she'd be my best friend regardless. Even when I first entered the field of whoredom (yes, that is an actual word), Kairi didn't budge. It didn't matter how much I became the central topic in everyone's daily dosage of cafeteria gossip. She didn't care about my name becoming synonymous with lovely labels such as slut, skank, hoe, bimbo, and tramp following me in whispers, mostly from fellow females. She stuck by me, despite not exactly approving of new lifestyle choices herself.

I lost a lot of people who I thought were my friends. Does it hurt my feelings? Sometimes. But you know, suddenly all of that baggage doesn't seem to matter in moments like this when I've sunken into my mattress, getting reacquainted with my real friends; the ones who accept me for me, like Andrew Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant. According to the most reliable and informative source for knowledge known as the internet, the definition of a slut is a person with a seemingly insatiable but often overlooked desire to do or have something, most notably in reference to shameless promiscuity. But if by being honored the title of slut, whether that means I'm confused, reckless, the proverbial myth that I can't close my legs anymore, or that I just like some dick—

I don't really care.

Not when I'm licking my fingers and flipping through a pretty thick wad of cash. If you hadn't already figured it out, yes, I did earn eight-hundred bucks after Shiki and I met with our appointed companions last night. Obviously, we agreed to go back to their hotels. When Shiki first let me in on the sex working gig, we made a deal. We promised to always cut fifty percent to help with family costs until we're in a better financial position, so I'm really only going to get about four-hundred out of it. But hey, let me hold onto this fantasy of eight-hundred for just a little longer. There's nothing like the pleasure of receiving better than average sex and being paid for it. It's like they're paying to please me. But it's not like my pleasure is fulfilled often, so I have to appreciate it when it does. If only such a Utopia existed.

Shiki, being the considerate sister that she is, busts into my room without knocking. No matter how many times I tell her not to do that and she, presumably fast-talking me, insists she won't do it again—she always, in fact, does it again. So getting angry would just be a waste of my energy .Instead, I examine her attire. She dons a black dress that hugs her figure in all the right places with a skirt that's a few centimeters away from exposing her southern region to the world. A shorter skirt and she'd be considered trashy instead of classy. She presents herself with a strained smile that says, 'Hey, I'm insecure about this look so just tell me what I want to hear and I'll leave you alone.'

"Does this dress make me look fat?"

I roll over to my belly and eye her from head to toe with mild intrigue at the bear minimum. "That was the most basic bitch question that a basic bitch could ask."

Her former excitement deforms into an unimpressed glower. "We're basic bitches, sis. Deal with it. Aren't you going to ask me why I'm all dressed up?"

"But that would imply that I care." She sets her hands on her hips. I sigh. "Tell me, sister of mine, why are you dressed up like that on a Thursday afternoon? Because I really, really give a shit."

"Much better!" Shiki nods. "Remember that guy I hooked up with last night? He's picking me up in about an hour and a half. I think it's about time I start settling down with someone."

"Wait, you mean you're actually trying to be in a... ugh, relationship?"

We shudder at the word.

"Eww, don't say it like that. It's just that Xemnas has a very appealing bank account. They live up in the northern region of Radiant Garden. Have you even seen those houses? I'm thinking about entering the gold digging profession."

Does that even qualify as a profession? "I thought that was against our code." When Shiki first let me join her embark on illegal sex working, we made a pact: never, under any circumstances, enter a relationship or develop feelings for another guy. Both scenarios run the risk of ruining everything we've worked so hard for.

"But if I can make it happen, then we won't have to worry about sex working anymore. I ask him for a few loans, we can make rent, pay bills, etcetera. You should consider trying it too! If I fail, then at least you can seduce Riku as a backup."

What a stupid plan. She says it as if it's foolproof, too. "Don't you think it's kinda cruel to lead someone on like that? This job isn't always ideal, I get it, but at least we don't have to worry about anyone's feelings." Including our own.

"How do you think Risette Kujiwawa got to where she is? Because of her talent?" She laughs. "Don't be naïve, little sister. We can't do this forever. Someday, our skin will wrinkle, our boobs and butts will sag past our thighs, we'll have to deal with crow's feet, we'll have that permanent old people smell, I could go on. We'll be lucky if even the most desperate want a piece of us. So, at some point, we gotta start digging for that gold." She shrugs.

"But you're only twenty-one. You probably still have a good ten years left. Twenty, if you're lucky."

"But it's not every day I get to hook up with the heir to Moogle Express. I'm thinking about the future, little sister. Besides, it's not like guys actually like us for who we are or anything. It's been proven that they only like us for our bodies." She smiles as if she just thwarted my entire point.

"That has to be one of the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say. And after seventeen years of your shit, that's saying a lot."

She rolls her eyes. "Why am I even talking to you?"

Good question. It doesn't matter what she says, she's not going to convince me that leading someone on is okay. There's a line even I won't cross. When she finally leaves, I casually return to my dead presidents' party. "Sorry guys, she's just a handful." And now I'm talking to abiotic objects.

Maybe I do need more friends.

Ironically enough, in the immediate aftermath of that line of thinking, my phone rings. I check the caller I.D.

 **Xehanort Okuda**

I decide to humor him and answer the phone, tucking it into the crook of my shoulder. "Couldn't get enough of me, huh?"

"Aren't you a confident one? But I think I like that."

"Let me guess, you want to go for round two?"

"Close enough. More accurately, I was wondering if I could take you out? Maybe grab a bite to eat... dinner, perhaps?"

"Wait, you mean a date?" I ask, getting a bit more invested into the conversation. "Or a date, date?"

Xehanort chuckles dryly. "Depends on your level of interest."

Sorry, dude. I'm not Shiki. You don't want to get with all of this. Trust me, I'm doing you a favor. "I think we should just cut to the chase. You want a fuck buddy? For the right price, I'm your girl. But let's not try to take it any further than that, alright?"

A moment of silence takes over. "Well," he says with an awkward chortle. "I think that was the first time I've been shot down so blatantly. Or at all, really. Is it a crime to want to get to know you?"

Get to know me? As if I'm supposed to believe any of these jackasses want to know anything more about me other than what type of lingerie I'm wearing. "You've seen me naked—I think you know quite a bit about me already."

He laughs. "I see."

I wait for an elaboration that never comes. "You see what?"

He audibly shifts for a brief moment before speaking up. "You're very guarded. But I guess we all don't like being vulnerable to some degree."

What's this guy getting at? If he's referring to the way I handle business, I think keeping my guard up is a necessity for my survival. "Let's just say I have some trust issues."

He chuckles. "That much, I gather. Can I ask you something?"

I set my money aside as my intrigue settles. "Yeah?"

"Why are you afraid?" His tone sounds austere. Way to be vague about it.

I run my finger against the back of my phone. "Afraid of what?"

"You tell me."

Who does he think he is? My therapist? Okay, so what if I am a bit paranoid? Why does he care so much? "What do you want?"

I can practically hear the smirk enveloping his face. He got me, and he knows it. The sad part is that I can't deny it. "Just come to my place for some dinner. That's all I'm asking for."

I sigh and plop back onto my bed, roaming my eyes across the room. I stare at my crappy TV, right next to my dresser leading to the front door. It's all upside down from my point of view. "Is it really?"

He hums mischievously. "Well, I'm not opposed to a particularly intimate desert if you aren't."

Finally, he's getting to the point. I'm not one for wasting time while skirting around the subject at hand, but I will admit that he has me, if nothing else, interested. "And what would we have for dessert?"

"Depends on what you're wearing."

I quirk a brow and smirk. "That line wasn't as smooth as it sounded in your head. So, you're going to eat my clothes for desert?"

After a moment of silence, Xehanort grumbles and clears his throat. "Look, are you coming or not?"

I sit up and examine my current attire. A simple black camisole and some yoga pants don't really add up to a particularly formal ensemble. But at least it makes my butt look big. I worked hard to get it nice and shapely. I'm never going to get those hours of squats and dieting back, so I'm not gonna hold back from showing it off whenever I can.

"Just don't expect me to look fancy shmancy."

"You think you'll have the energy to handle me this time?"

This guy really thinks he's hot shit. "Please, don't get cocky. I've got energy for days. I never get tired."

 ** _S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S_**

I'm so fucking tired.

This dawning of realization hit me as soon as I stepped foot inside the main lobby of Twilight High with the ungodly urge to take a nap on the dirty marble floor. Heed no mind to the ignorant simpleton who claimed she had "energy for days" earlier. She was young, naïve, and stupid. So don't quote her on that. I was just lucky that Dad went to bed early; it gave me and Shiki enough time to sneak back into the house. I had to climb this huge tree on the side of my room and act as a bootleg tightrope artist to inch across this branch that leads directly to my window. I have a traumatizing fear of heights, so that wasn't very fun.

All in all, a pretty eventful night – to put it mildly. It involved two of my favorite things: food and great sex. But the repercussions followed me into the morning. Now all I can do is put my faith into this piping hot cup of espresso in hopes of it jolting me back into proper functioning, despite being deprived of four hours of sleep. Wish me luck, people.

"Oof!" Someone bumps into me, hard enough for my grip to loosen. I watch in horror as my cup practically takes a leap of faith out of my hands and descends to the floor. "Noooo!" I yell, reaching my hand out. But it's too late. In the matter of moments (which felt more like thirty second due to me seeing this travesty unfold in pseudo slow motion), the floor is covered in a delicious and thick pond of sweet, creamy goodness.

"Oh, shit! Xion!" says a clearly male voice. I turn around, ready to glare daggers at the clumsy numskull who decided not to look where they were going. "Aww dude, my bad. I was just messing with my bro and was totally not paying attention. Sorry about that." He rubs the back of his head. I draw back my fangs upon realizing that the perpetrator is none other than Tidus Fleming – the star athlete of the basketball team. Handsome, toned muscles, considerably wealthy, and due to being a native to Destiny Islands, ridiculously tan.

Meh, I can buy another espresso anytime.

His buddy and co-captain of the basketball team, Wakka Otani, punches him on the shoulder. "Yo, man! Watch where you're goin'!"

"Oh, it's okay. I was probably just about to throw it away anyway," I lie. "I guess I better go clean it up or something." I groan at the prospect of manual labor. But before I can turn for the bathroom, Tidus gently holds me back by the arm.

With a confident grin, he removes a towel from his shoulder and uses it to collect the contents. "Allow me."

Now, that's how you treat a lady. "What a gentleman."

"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome," he says with a smirk.

"Gentleman, ya?" Wakka snickers. "You should see the way he flirts with the cheerleaders. Then you'll see how gentlemanly this man is."

"Duuude," he whines.

I giggle as Tidus rises to his feet with the empty cup in his hand, having successfully cleaned up the puddle of grounded coffee beans. He chucks the cup into a nearby trashcan. I guess that's why he's the team leader.

"It's actually funny that I bumped into you, I've been wanting to talk to you lately." Tidus grins. He makes a quick gesture to Wakka with his eyes. Wakka seems to understand and winks at him, before giving us a bit of privacy.

"Is that so?" I ask as he takes my hands and gradually leads us to the first floor lockers. "Let me guess, you've heard the rumors?"

"Bingo!" he says. "Truth is, I've always thought you were cute, but I wasn't sure if you'd go for me."

Is he kidding? There aren't many girls in our class who can resist him, and I shamelessly fall into that same category. Mostly because of his aesthetic appeal, but hey, I said I was shallow. "Honestly, Mr. Fleming, if anyone should be surprised, it's me. I didn't even think you noticed me like that."

"You'd be surprised, me and a lot of others have been pining after you for a while," he says. "I dunno, there's just somethin' different about you. I guess it's because you're not one of the rich girls. Those bitches act like they're a gift to humanity." His hands slither down my waist. "Though, I wouldn't blame you if you did – with all of this you got goin' on back there."

I think I'm starting to see what Wakka meant, but you know what? Fuck it. Believe me, I've met far worse. "Are you sure it's that, and not just because of any certain physical attributes I might have?" I smirk devilishly, gesturing to where his hands are currently placed—quite evidently rubbing my backside. Not that I mind, like I said, I worked hard on that shit. "You seem pretty comfortable."

He smiles sheepishly. "Well, uh, it definitely helps." I expected no less. "But I meant what I said. And I'm glad you've made this a bit easier for me. Rumor says you have a price?"

"That rumor would be correct."

"To be frank with you, I just got out of a relationship with my ex. So, I wouldn't mind the distraction. Let's face it: I'm hot, you're hot. So we can make this work, right?"

I roll my eyes. "Dial it down a bit. But you do speak truth."

"You know I do." He winks. "What do you say we take this outside of school later on?"

"Sure," I chirp.

"I guess I'll have to cough up some dough, huh?"

"Ding, ding! Correct answer!"

"How much?"

"Depends. How much you got on you?"

He grins. "I don't think you're ready for all of those digits. How about I give you five-hundred and take you to my friend's place? His parents won't be there. Sound good?"

"It's a date."

"By the way, um, I think I'm out of condoms. You mind if I go in raw?"

"Ehhh! Wrong answer!"

He sighs, but maintains a smile. "Fine. Guess I'll have to buy some."

"Hey!" a voice yells from behind. "What the hell are you doing?"

Well, if it isn't Yuna Burress, one of the leading "feminists" in our class, if you want to call her that. She's followed by her two flunkies, Rikku and Paine. She and I go way back, and we are many things – but mutually friendly is definitely not one of them. And that's just me being lenient. There's not a week that goes by without her bugging me at least once, especially after the rumors about my not so legal occupation spread about. She's used it against me ever since.

She crosses her arms and casts me a dirty look. "Spades."

"Burress."

She crosses her arms, wrinkling her nose with what looks to be repulsion. "I see you're still snooping your nose in where it doesn't belong. As usual."

I quirk an eyebrow and set my hands on my hips, narrowing my gaze. "What are you talking about?"

I only just now realize that Tidus removed his hands immediately upon her arrival. He approaches her with a callous grin and wraps an arm around Yuna. Though, I think I detect a hint of skepticism playing her face as well. "You got here just in time, babe," he says to her.

Hold the phone. Babe? Did I black out and miss something in the previous ten seconds? "Okay, you lost me." I press my fingers against my temple to keep myself from blowing a gasket. "What's going on here?"

"You should've kept your hands to yourself, Xion," Tidus says. "Told you she was easy."

"Oh, that's not anything new," Yuna says, directing her glare at me once again. "I think I should know more than anyone."

I return my own set of cold eyes, equally savage. "FYI, this guy bumped into me. Personally, I couldn't care less about him. So, what's your problem?"

"What's my problem?" She smugly adjusts her glasses. "What do you take me for? An idiot?"

"I—"

"Rhetorical question! Look, I'm only going to say this once as politely as I can: keep your filthy hands to yourself."

"Excuse me? I was told that you two broke up," I say while glaring at a very punchable Tidus.

Tidus scoffs. "Dude, you actually thought I wanted you?" He laughs. "It was just a prank, bro. Don't take it too seriously."

Either he's is an Oscar-worthy actor or he's a lying piece of shit who almost used me to cheat on his girlfriend. I'm going to assume the latter. I highly doubt he would've negotiated a price if he weren't serious. The worst part is that Yuna is actually buying this.

"Yuna." She looks at me with disdain. "You and me – we got issues. I get it. I don't blame you for not being so quick to trust me, but I said it before and I'll say it again—I've never lied to you."

She crosses her arms. "Is that so? How about we ask Sakuraba about that?" I bite my lip at the sound of that name. "You expect me to believe the girl who's probably done the whole team by now? Save for my darling, of course. Hypothetically speaking, if he ever did cheat on me—," Yuna turns to him with a menacing look before returning her attention to me, "—which he won't, he would at least have the decency to have higher standards than a defiled harlot who isn't worth one percentage of her rumored prices."

"Oh, burn." Tidus wraps a protective arm around her shoulders. "That's right, sweetie. Put this girl in her place. She needs Jesus in her life."

This is pathetic. How can Yuna not see right through him? Is she blind? Beneath that goofy grin is nothing but deceit and trickery. I ought to castrate this loser. How could he sell out on me that fast without any remorse and shamelessly lie about having a girlfriend? He must have heard about my policy against taken men. I hate to say it, but I'm glad Yuna got here when she did. Sleeping with him would've been a huge mistake. People like him are the reason why I can't trust anybody.

"Some folks never learn, huh?" Rikku giggles. Why does she have to say everything so perky? She is also punchable.

"So not cool," Paine deadpans.

"You might want to reevaluate yourself, Spades," Yuna says. "This year, you don't want to push me."

Her volume increases, making a small crowd form around us. "Tell me, Yuna – how much of Tidus' semen must you swallow to reach your level of stupidity? Because I think I might've dodged a bullet there."

She squints. "You're not funny. Do you want me to get hostile?"

I laugh. "Am I supposed to be scared of you? Do you remember the last time you tried to pick a fight with me?"

"Oh yeah, didn't you get your butt whooped?" Tidus asks dumbly. She hits him on the arm. "Ow!"

"I wasn't feeling well that day," she clarifies.

"Sure, you weren't." I roll my eyes. "No wonder Tidus came to me for some ass. He needed something you severely lack. Pick up the Amaya series for a squat training, will you?"

"Oh, burn!" Tidus yelps. Yuna shoots him a dirty look. "It was a half-decent burn..."

I approach her closer until our eyes are only a few inches apart. "And don't you ever threaten me like that again. If you want to go there, we can go there." She doesn't move. She doesn't say anything. Though, I know she's stabbing me in every way imaginable in her mind. But she doesn't lift a finger, which isn't much of a surprise. "Figured."

With neither of us pushing the conversation into violent territory, I navigate through our thin audience, leaving them to jeer and whisper over what just transpired. Great, it's only a matter of time before more rumors start to spread. As if I really needed any more attention. Don't you people have something better to do than produce your own fabrications of truth based on nothing more than your own third-party, uninformed judgment?

Oh wait, this is high school. Forgot.

I'm so fucking tired.

 ** _S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S_**

"How can you not be excited for homecoming?"

Kairi and I currently make our way down Tram Avenue after having just gotten off the bus. I don't remember how our conversation trailed towards the realm of typically superficiality like homecomings, proms, and dresses, but I can tell you that I don't like it.

"Should I be?"

"Uh, yeah," she says, as if it were obvious. "Don't act like you aren't waiting for the right guy to ask you out."

"Nobody's asked me."

She seems taken aback by that. "Really? But, like—people were asking you all the time last year."

"Yeah, when I wasn't known for being an underage sex worker. You think they really want anything to do with me now?"

She pouts. "Well, maybe we can still go? I think it'd be fun. You've been kinda tense lately, so I think it'd do you some good. Come on! Whatever happened to girl power?"

"It died," I deadpan. "I've got more important things to worry about than trying to squeeze into an overly tight dress that suffocates my breathing for ninety percent of the night only in order for me to show off my figure, the spiked punch, the sweaty bodies, that god awful smell, and the cheesy love songs I have to suffer through while I sit at a table alone with sticky nachos to keep me company while everybody else is out with their 'soulmate' for the night until they all go back to their hotels, fuck like rabbits, and forget the majority of the night by the next day as if it never happened."

It's a while before she speaks up. "Well, somebody sounds bitter." I grumble. Well, excuse me. Dances have just never been my thing. I guess that's the tomboy in me speaking. "See? This is why I think you should go. It would be so good for you. Just a good time to get away from it all."

"Don't get your hopes up."

Kairi and I say our goodbyes and she makes a turn to her street, leaving me to continue ahead by myself.

"Hey!" shouts a squeaky voice of some unknown third-party.

I turn around and spot Rikku and Paine in the distance. That's right, the two of them live this way. They approach me, Rikku in her usual giddy and oddly cheerful demeanor, and Paine in her aloof, visibly irritated one.

"That was one heckuva stunt you pulled earlier!" Rikku chirps. Seriously, why the hell is she smiling? Didn't she come here to interrogate me?

"Me?" I ask, scoffing. "You're the ones who blindly believed whatever that idiot said. Don't take it out on me."

She pouts. "Ya know, you ought to be ashamed of yourself for what you did to her!"

"Well, I've apologized. Multiple times, actually. If she doesn't want to accept it, then I can't do anything. How about you send your 'leader' a message and tell her to leave me alone?"

"Well, that isn't very nice," Rikku says. "Just don't mess with our little Yunny again, 'kay? We're very protective of her!"

"Is that supposed to be a warning?"

"Nah!" She giggles. "This is!"

Paine pulls her fist back, and the next thing I know, I'm seeing black.

"Teehee! Have a nice day!"

I can't even act like I'm surprised. These two psycho's have a reputation for silencing anybody who they consider messed with their precious Yuna. Despite the pain, I take deep breaths and try to calm myself down. And I'm not stupid enough to try to take them on, two on one.

The best thing I can do is pick myself up and keep going.

* * *

 **Sorry this was delayed a little bit, I'm actually really freaking sick right now and I haven't had the energy to do anything.**

 **Anyway, here's the second chapter! Got a little intense there, huh? Well, I promise this story won't be getting too angsty, I actually plan on it being lighthearted, more or less. As lighthearted as a fic about selling yourself for sex can be XD**

 **I'm glad the first one got a pretty good response. I love reading your guys reviews! They make me want to keep writing!**

 **Big thanks to:**

 **Ken7700, Hog s Head, snow . fairy, Guest** (btw, I couldn't respond to your review since you don't have an account, but I was glad to hear that you liked the first chapter! I hope this one sufficed!), **TheNotSoTalentedPoet, reqorz, and to my baes, SoraxKairi7 and BlissfulNightRain.**

 **So, what did you think? I hope it came out alright! Leave a review and let me know what you think or what can be improved! Also, I only looked over this chapter once even though I usually reread my stuff at least three times so there might be some errors, so if you see any could you please be so kind to inform me? That would be much appreciated!**


	3. Feelings

**Chapter 3**

I slip inside of my house and shut the front door, the click just above a whisper.

When it comes to curfew, Dad can be strict. But the football game was today and if luck just so happens to be on my side this evening, he'll be fast asleep. Whenever his team loses badly in a regular season game, he gets drunk and goes into a fit of rage. However, my luck is typically a rotten mess of imbalanced probability. He's probably wide awake and impatiently waiting for my arrival the moment I step into the kitchen. I promise that he's very sweet, but he can just be scary when he allows his temper to devour his rationale. I guess that makes two of us.

The last thing I want is to explain an obnoxious black eye to him.

With careful steps, I creep into the living room to find my father snoring on the couch decorated in empty beer cans and half a bowl of cheese puffs. They must've lost. His head lays on the armrest and his long, messy black hair cascades over his face. He's still got on that damn red bandanna of his. I guess trying to convince him to take that thing off is hopeless. Still, he's asleep. This is good news, right? I exhale with relief and wipe the sweat off my brow. I must have lucked out. Sure, I still have a monster of a black eye that makes me look like a breed of some half-human half-raccoon hybrid, but at least I don't have to worry about Dad finding out too soon.

But of course, I can only revel in my bittersweet triumph for so long before my big brother, Sora, steps into the kitchen. "Whoa, Xion. Weren't you supposed to be home, like, an hour ago?"

I dare not turn around. If he sees this black eye, I don't know what he'd do. The fridge opens and soon afterwards a metal cap of a soda can snaps back, followed by an unnecessarily obnoxious slurp. Oh boy, here we go. This man is notorious for acting as the resident household sheriff, ratting both my sister and I since I can remember. He may be well-intentioned, but it gets to his head.

"I had extracurricular activities after school."

He smacks his lips. "Isn't that what smart people do or something? Why would you be there?"

I roll my eyes. "Hilarious. Shouldn't you be studying? How is a doofus like yourself going to get into Daybreak, the oh so highly-esteemed university for Keyblade wielders, if you're wasting your time worrying about little old me?"

"You'll eat those words the day I become a Keyblade Master."

"Uh-huh. And your humiliating defeat in the final struggle tournament round earlier this year is _really_ helping your case."

He takes another prolonged sip while looking at me with a lazy set of eyes. I must've hit a soft spot. "Dad'll be pissed."

"Objection, sir. Because he's not going to know that I was here. I'm going to go upstairs to my room and you're going to keep that mouth of yours shut because you never saw me in the first place. Got it?"

"Get over yourself. You make it sound like it's my goal to make your life miserable. I have a life of my own, as you should know. My lips are sealed."

Well, that was suspiciously easier than I thought. I head for the stairs, but stop in my tracks when—

"Hey, Dad. Xion's home after curfew."

Dad shoots up from his slumber and turns around to find me struck speechless in an awkwardly frozen stance like a deer caught in headlights. I guess that's what I get for hurting his dick pride and bringing up the loss at the struggle tournament. Damn it, Sora. You've done it again.

"Sealed lips, right?" I glare at my brother.

With a cheeky grin, he shrugs. "Yeah, I lied."

It must be "National Screw Over Xion" Day or something. I just can't catch a break. Dad staggers from the living room into the kitchen, pushing aside one of the double doors that slide into the wall. I give him my best attempt at an innocent smile. It doesn't seem to be working, since his eye are fixed on me furiously.

"This oughta be good," Sora comments, one hand in the pocket of his sweatpants while he sips on his juice.

Ignoring him, I wrap my arms around my father's sturdy waist. "I'm home, Daddy!"

"Shut the hell up, Xion."

I quickly recoil my arms behind my back. "Sorry, I just got caught up with after school stuff."

"Extracurricular, right?" Sora teases.

"Will you mind your own business for once?" I hiss.

"Xion," Dad slurs. He hunches over to get a better look. "What happened to your face, girl?"

"I just tripped and fell on my way here."

He remains skeptical. "Did someone do this to you? Don't be afraid to tell me, because I will plunge the fool that did this into the darkest hell they could never imagine for laying their unworthy fingers on my youngest daughter."

I gulp. That must be the booze talking. "Dad, this is why I don't like telling you things."

"Huh?" he asks obviously. "Why not?"

"Because you're drunk, and when you're drunk you have anger issues."

"What? What are you talking about? I do not have fucking anger issues!" Dad kicks a nearby chair over. I back up against the wall.

Almost as quickly as his rage level went from zero to a hundred, it reverts back to normal. He looks apologetic as he picks the chair back up. Okay, then. "Your mother would have killed me if she saw that. Sorry, Xion. This is just what happens when those damn Oath Keepers end up losing by fifteen... when they were up by twenty for all three quarters!"

"Um... it's cool."

He ruffles my hair. "I'm too tired and intoxicated for this shit. I'll let you off the hook today, girl. I'm going to bed."

"Off the hook?" Sora asks. "Aww, Dad, you going soft on me?"

Dad ignores him and thumps upstairs without another word. Well, that was anti-climatic.

"That was a boatload of nothin'," Sora says. "I would have been grounded if I came home this late. He only let you off the hook because you're his favorite, you know."

I playfully stick my tongue out. "Thus, the benefits of being the youngest."

"Yeah, yeah, you're just daddy's little angel, aren't you?" Sora rolls his eyes as he chugs the rest of his drink and crushes the empty can with both palms. He heads for the stairs, but stops once we're shoulder-to-shoulder. "So, what really happened?"

"Huh?"

"The black eye," he says, as if it were obvious.

"I told you, I tripped and fell."

Sora raises an eyebrow before sighing and folding his hands behind his head. "Alright, I'll play along for now. I guess I can't force you to tell me anything."

"What's there to play along with? I just told you what happened."

"Right." He smirks. "You've always thought independence makes you stronger, haven't you? I think you've got it a little twisted."

I cross my arms. "I think that my business is my business, and nobody else has any obligation to know what goes on in my life. Not even you, brother of mine. So, save your breath. I can take care of myself."

He shakes his head. "Just remember that strength doesn't mean you have to do everything alone."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He chuckles dryly. "I dunno. Just me thinking I'm smart, I guess." He places a hand on my shoulder. "You're an irritating little shit, but I'll still be here for you whenever you're ready to tell us the truth."

"I _am_ telling you the truth." Instead of responding, he simply walks upstairs, leaving me secluded to ruminate over his words. I guess I'm not as sleek of a liar as I'd like to believe I am. Even so, as long as they remain ignorant of profession and the source of this honking black eye, I'm in the clear. I'm going to do this on my own, no matter what. Getting them involved is just bad for business. There would be too many complications, too much resentment, too much baggage I'd have carry on my conscience.

And it'd be too painful.

 ** _S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S_**

So, how do I put this?

He's hot as fuck.

While most people blend into the background and sufficiently become facesless among the faceless, every once in a while you find that one person that just naturally stands out, born with an entrancing semblance surrounding them. They exhibit charm through natural charisma, and the rest of us dull, ordinary plebeians either can't get enough of it or can't stand the sight of it.

What? I'm not jealous.

My peripheral view turns into a hot guy detector and locks in on the mysterious new kid. Something about him. Maybe it's that intangible glow sparkling from his tan skin perfectly complementing that stylishly spiky golden blond hair. He laughs in the company of friendly faces, despite his estranged status. Blue eyes jolt me out of my daydreams. I inhale a sharp breath when I realize those very same eyes belong to him. He lifts his eyebrows before but relaxing into a gentle smile. I shift my attention to the chalkboard in a pathetic attempt at avoiding further embarrassment and wait for my cheeks to cool down.

This guy is dangerous. And I repeat, hot as fuck. The deadly duo. Most guys don't impress me. They're walking cash cows, and some just so happen to share my strong libido and are desperate enough to pay me to relieve them. I like to keep things simple; give me money and your penis is granted access into my vagina, where our genitalia shall engage in an intense, wet handshake. Such simplicity doesn't entail complicated ropes of feelings tied into unruly messes that only tug me from my focus.

But there's something different about this one. The type of guy you can introduce to your parents with confidence yet still go home and turn into savages between the sheets.

What am I even thinking about? No, Xion! Do not succumb! Even if it's just a flimsy infatuation, it can develop into icky things if I don't keep my guard up. Icky things like feelings and affection. Falling for the white lie that hides under the deceptive alias of "love" is bad for business.

And look at what I'm saying! Love? I haven't even spoken a single word to him yet. Breathe, woman. Check yourself. Romance is bad. Romance is the enemy. Romance will ruin everything you've worked hard for up to this point. Remember, you have no feelings. I am Xion. I am a robot. I am deficient of the emotional liberty residing in normal human beings. All potential crushes must be eliminated, for it shall sabotage Project: S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S. Terminating lack of restrictions on affectionate interface, initiating emotional barrier.

Ahh, I feel better now.

"What happened to you last night?" Kairi asks as she carelessly plops her bag on my desk. She towers before me, a clear annoyance stained on her face. "I've been asking you all day, and you keep dodging the question."

I shut my eyes and face forward. "What do you speak of, human?"

She rolls her eyes. "Why are you talking like that? You sound like a robot."

"Affirmative."

"Knock it off! I texted you, like, forty times last period and you didn't return a single one. Not to mention you totally blew me off when I tried to call you last night! I mean, like, you had me worried thinking you got hurt or something."

Wow, I totally forgot to check my phone last night. After narrowly dodging getting grounded, I crashed as soon as I hit my bed.

"Clingy," I sing.

"I am so not clingy. You just haven't given me a reason to trust you. It's like I never know what you're up to these days and I have to follow you around like your babysitter. And why are you wearing sunglasses inside? You look like a narcissist."

Oh, did I forget to tell you? I'm wearing these shades to hide my black eye. I wouldn't hear the end of it if Kairi saw this thing. "Well, I can concur to partial narcissism."

She pouts before pulling up a chair. "Xion, please talk to me. You've been acting strange lately, and by that, I mean more than usual. You don't have to be afraid to tell me if something's wrong."

Oh, something's wrong, alright.

Without an ounce of dignity left in my then sore body and swollen eye, it took all the energy I had to pick myself up from that sucker punch from Paine last night. Her name is surprisingly and almost frighteningly fitting. Her parents must have some amazing foresight. Somewhere before or in-between the part where Paine made me look like some breed of a half-raccoon hybrid—I lost my wallet, along with the five hundred dollars I left in there. I'm still not sure whether they took it or if I dropped it by the time she grabbed me. All I know is that it's gone. I'm an idiot for not stashing that money back home, but I don't trust my sister to not snoop around there either.

The truth is that I couldn't get any sleep at all. I frequently woke up in the middle of the night. But Kairi doesn't need to be brought into my problems. I can handle this myself. I'm sure my best friend has enough on her plate, somehow balancing school, a part-time job, martial arts classes, and acting as co-captain of the volleyball team. She keeps herself way too busy sometimes.

"Nothing's wrong, Kairi. Promise."

"You and your promises." She puffs her cheeks and gradually exhales out her frustration. "Forget it. Trying to get you to open up to me is pointless. Just let me know, honestly, should I be concerned?"

"Oh, Kairi... Kairi, Kairi, Kairi..." I tap her shoulder. "I love you, but if there's one thing I could criticize is your lack of chill. Don't worry so much. I'm fine."

"Then take off the glasses."

"Eh, negatory. To be honest, I got a really bad rash this morning, pretty disgusting. Unless you feel like puking at my expense, I think I'd be more comfortable keeping them on."

She squints hard. "You win this round, Spades. But you're not fooling me. I'll find out what's wrong, because it's my job as your BFF."

"Nice to know I'm your obligation."

She pouts and blows at her bangs. "You know what I meant."

"Instead of interrogating me, how about we focus on more important things? Like the new kid." I point to the mysterious transfer student. "Isn't he cute? You know, when I'm done with him, you can have the leftovers. He'd probably be a better match for you than my jerk brother. But since when were we getting a transfer, anyway?"

"Him?" Kairi asks upon viewing the suspect. "First of all, eww. I'm not having any of your leftovers. And second, he's not a transfer student. That's Roxas Newman. He transferred classes, not schools."

"Why haven't I seen him before?"

"Xion, he's got mostly AA and AP classes. Besides this class, you clearly don't have any of those. Of course you'd never meet him."

"Are you calling me stupid?"

She only face palms as the official late bell rings.

"Assigned seats, everyone," says Mr. Nomura as he shuts the door behind him. Everybody scampers to their designated area and trained silence takes over. "Oh, so you guys listened to me today! Why can't you guys follow directions this easily everyday?" A weak communal chuckle fills the air—without any contribution from me, for the record. I'm so exhausted that I plop on my desk. My eyelids grow heavy and I'm seeing black. Despite my exhaustion, my ears seem to still be intact. "I'm sure you all know of the new kid in our class today who's switched his schedule to fit in AP English."

I shoot up from my disposition immediately, and thankfully, nobody seems to notice.

"Most of you may already know who he is, but just for the sake of being professional... young man, could you come up in front of the class and introduce yourself?"

Roxas rises from his seat and walks towards the front of the room with casual, but sophisticated confidence bouncing in his step. He turns his back towards us. "It's Bond." He turns around and makes a dramatic pose with his fingers shaped as a gun, pretending to blow at it. "James. Bond." He chuckles, breaking out of character. "Sorry, I'm just a dork and I'm just trying to go for something a little dramatic. But, really though, what's happening? I'm Roxas Newman."

Well, I'll forgive his cringe worthy yet dorky introduction and still admit that his attractiveness subsides any of my nitpicks. The boy definitely has a top spot on my GILT list—guys I'd like to tap. But he seems to be a poster boy for dorks everywhere, no denying that. Maybe not my first choice, but hey, he doesn't need to be my type for me to ride his pipe.

He receives a pretty positive response before taking his seat. Mr. Nomura proceeds with today's lesson plan. "Alright, let's start off with a bang. We're all having a group project."

Everyone seems relatively pleased with the news. Group project in adolescent terms translates to "let's just hang out all day and cram the actual assignment at the last minute", so it's basically temporary free day. I glance over at Kairi and we share that mutual eyesight communication, agreeing to work together.

"You'll be partnering up to write a short script. You and your partner will be enlisted to act it out in front of the class."

"Excuse me, Papa Nomura, but I don't believe I signed up to be a drama major," I pipe up. The rest of the class agrees, but Nomura only laughs.

"Who do you guys think come up with the scripts for plays and movies? Writers, of course. You guys have the talent. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been put in advanced placement. I think you guys have what it takes to write up clever material, but you have to be able to act it out well enough to prompt the producers too. You have to be prepared to pitch your ideas to certain individuals."

Faint chatter erupts among us. It sounds like some people are warming up to the idea. I suppose it shouldn't be too difficult. Still, seems a bit eccentric for English class. Shouldn't we be learning about commas and shit? "Okay," Mr. Nomura says with a clap. "Everybody get in line. I've taken the liberty to place all of your names in a hat. Whoever you pick is who you'll end up working with."

Ouch. Can you hear it? It's the sound of every soul in this class dying softly inside from the heartbreaking news. Mr. Nomura laughs again. He sure does have a weird sense of humor.

"Mr. Nomura," says Zexion, probably the smartest guy in my whole AP class. Not to mention I suckered thirty-five bucks out of him after we had a quickie under the gym bleachers a few weeks ago. "Wouldn't it make more sense to choose a partner with whom we would surely have more chemistry with?"

"That's precisely why you guys are getting partners at random. You're not always going to be able to work with your best friend out in the real world. You have to learn how to cooperate with all kinds of new people and adapt in certain social scenarios. So, since you currently have the spotlight, Mr. Zexion, why don't you be the first one up to come and choose?"

One by one, we all suck it up and choose a name out of the hat. By the time Kairi lines up to take her turn, my name still hasn't been drawn. She gives me a quick look of anxiety while crossing her fingers before rummaging through the stylish fedora hat. She pulls out a square piece of paper.

"Roxas Newman," she reads. She sends him a polite smile and he returns with a casual salute.

Honestly, I've never been one to make a big deal about who I'm working with. It's just a project, not a ceremony for Holy Matrimony. If I'm not able to work with Kairi, I generally get along with my estranged partners. It's really not that big of a deal.

Pulling out a name from the hat, I read my partner's name. "Terra Dohring."

Ooh, he's cute.

I turn around and wave to Terra in the back. Tall, handsome, muscular, and better yet, I haven't had him as one of my clients. Yet another worthy contender on my GILT list. He gives me that player nod that a lot of prideful guys do and flashes a crooked smile.

"Just don't catch something," someone says, pretending to cough in between. Sticks and stones. I just take my seat while ignoring a few of the chuckles that came about from his little joke. I could make a bigger deal out of it if I wanted to, but I don't want to put Mr. Nomura in an awkward position. After a few more minutes, everybody has been successfully partnered up and only a lucky handful ended up being paired with their actual friends. Mr. Nomura decides to let us spend the rest of the period coming up with some ideas.

I find myself a bit distracted by Roxas and Kairi.

Again, I'm not jealous!

"Xion?" Terra snaps me back into reality. He pulls up a chair and sits in it backwards on the other side of my desk.

Why am I so bent on that Roxas kid, anyway? Terra is way hotter. Plus, I heard he comes from a pretty wealthy family. It's not surprising, this is a pretty highly regarded school and most of the kids around here have pretty impressive family backgrounds. And I mean, come on, just look at that chest. Nice and built. I guess I should take advantage of this situation while I still have the chance. I wouldn't be an opportunist otherwise.

"Nice shades," he compliments, breaking the ice.

I adjust my glasses. "Nice face."

"Likewise." He smirks. "Let's cut straight to the chase. I think you're pretty cute."

He cuts straight to the point and doesn't waste time bogging me down with boring and awkward small talk? I like this guy already. "What a coincidence. I was just thinking the same thing about you."

"I know." He raises his eyebrows suggestively and attempts to flex his pecs. "I mean, come on, have you seen me?"

I shake my head. "Don't get cocky."

"Hey, I'm just being honest. But wouldn't it be a shame to put all that hard work into this body if I didn't have anyone to share it with? You don't think I did this for nothing, did you?"

I smirk, placing my right fist under my chin. "Is that a proposition?"

"Not sure yet." He grins and takes my free hand, smoothly leaning in for a peck. "Maybe we can meet up after hours and discuss this project over dinner or something? This classroom is too stuffy to really get the gears turning, you know?"

"You think I haven't heard that a million times before? Are you sure it's a project that you really want to discuss here? Or would you prefer that I read between the lines?"

"Oh! So, you're a mind reader! I knew there was something different about you."

"You're right. Consider me an automated android, willing and able to make all of your wildest dreams come true." I'm only partially joking, but he takes it as a full blown quip.

"You're definitely different from the other girls."

"Is that right?" I playfully tap him on the nose. "Am I supposed to believe that you haven't spit the same game to every other girl you've talked to?"

"Oh, but Xion, recycling will make the world a better place. For instance, by recycling my tired, hackneyed lines that I've used time and time again, I can make a bunch of girls like you happy by telling you exactly what you want to hear. It's fool proof!"

I scoff, but retain a smile. "So, girls are just these machines programmed to respond to specific charms to activate our affection?"

"I'm sorry, but who was the one who claimed they were an android earlier?"

"Touché, Mr. Dohring."

He flashes me that signature smirk of his again. "So, are we straight for dinner?"

"Looks like it's your lucky day, Mr. Dohring, because I just so happen to have an open schedule for tonight. Say, seven?"

He pulls out his phone. "I'll give you my number and you just text me the address. I'll swing by to pick you up."

"Sounds good. But are you sure that this going to be something that's purely professional? Or did you hear about my reputation and were looking for something else?"

He chuckles. "Don't worry. We're just gonna have a good time and discuss the project together. It's strictly business."

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

The next thing I know, I'm being pounded from behind in the back of his van with our moans and grunts harmonously echoing without shame.

Maybe this isn't strictly business anymore.

* * *

Welcome back, my little bananas! (this is so my new catchphrase XD) Some of you may know that some medical stuff got in the way of me updating this, but it's out now.

Sorry if this chapter seems boring, I know that not much happened, but it is necessary to build up what's to follow. I promise (or at least I hope) things should start picking up next chapter. Because hey, Roxas is finally here!

I tried to do something a little different and not make the introduction to the main love interest as dramatic as usual. Instead of either of them falling into each other's laps, I just wanted them to notice each other.

Now I don't wanna turn this AN into a big advertising festival, but you guys should check out these fics I'm about to recommend!

 **Sex Ed** by my some of my best FanFiction friends, **BlissfulNightRain** and **SoraxKairi7** , centers around an adult Sora who ends up having to teach a sex ed class, but also deals with important issues and on top of that, some good ol' Sokai never hurts anybody! I'm sure a lot of you are probably already reading it, but if you're not, check it out! They'll have you in tears with laughter!

(*whispers* Don't forget to check out **Chandelier** and **Taboo** also! And make sure you leave them some **reviews**!)

 **Noise Pollution** by **TheNotSoTalentedPoet** , who is far from untalented, mind you. This one is kind of like a coming of age story and follows Roxas with a lifestyle that isn't exactly glorious, who ends up bonding with three special friends in Axel, Xion, and Aqua with a common interest of music. If you're not in the mood for something as wild as Sex Ed, check this one out! His poetry and descriptions are really awesome, makes me jealous sometimes XD! Leave him a **review**!

 **Clean Up Woman** by **Twenty-Twenty-One** , as Phil from Hercules would say, I only have two words for this fic: This. Is. Hilarious! Basically, Namine was a waitress for a whole year until she met somebody of higher authority. She ends up being offered to be his maid, and let the hilarity ensue!

Alright, that's way more than enough advertising out of me. I'll try to get the follow up chapter for this one out as soon as I can so that it makes up for this one's lacking.

#bananasquad


	4. Sensation

**Chapter 4**

My mother is amazing.

She's like the inverse of stereotypical mothers that have been conditioned into our psyche thanks to daytime television. When I hear the word "mom," the image of a kind and caring middle-aged woman with long, flowing hair reaching below her flower embroidered apron comes to mind. With a heart of gold on her sleeve followed by a complimentary smile of encouragement, she effortlessly illustrates what it means to be the perfect caretaker. She takes care of the kids, cooks, cleans, and washes the dishes before her handsome husband returns home from a day on the job and plants a welcoming kiss on the cheek for a hard day's work.

Thank God _my_ mom isn't anything like that.

My mom is the purest form of awesome. She likes to stay busy at all times and encourages (I use "encourage" lightly, as it is simply a sugarcoated substitute for "impose") the rest of us to do the same. I remember when she was around, she'd always toss me out of the house even if there wasn't a particular reason. I was fifteen at the time when the covers slipped from my body. A cool breeze rushed over my exposed sleepwear; shorts and a T-shirt. Barely able to open my eyes thanks to the penetrating sunlight, I squinted at Mom, who gave me that grin born from confidence and determination. Dad always said I was a spitting image of her since I've always clearly resembled her the most between me and my siblings. We both sport raven hair cut short, but she usually has on a black or white headband.

"Mom, what are you doing?" I asked. "It's like seven in the morning."

"Wakey wakey, Twin," Mom said with a clap just to make her seem louder than she already was. I knew she was prepared for her daily routine jog around the neighborhood judging by her outfit; a white halter top overlapped with a navy blue vest and biker shorts. "It's time for you to get up, up, up!"

"Why?" I groaned, clutching onto my pillow and burying my face into its warm and secure embrace. I had futile hopes that it would somehow protect me from the hellish reality known as... outdoors. God, I hated outdoors and I still do to a degree. I will never understand people who actually enjoy the unbearable summer heat, getting sticky from perspiration and immediately needing a shower after only ten minutes, bees buzzing around your ear as if it's mistaken earwax for honey, I could go on. I have a damn list.

"What do you mean, why? It's Monday!"

"It's also summer vacation."

"That's no excuse! No daughter of mine is gonna be taking up space in my house rotting away in her sleep with a beautiful day on the horizon. That's why you're gonna go downstairs, eat your breakfast, get your lazy butt outside, and do something productive today."

I rubbed my eyes as I sat up. "Like what?"

"I dunno. Go to the park, call your little Kairi friend, get a job—" she empathized with a briefly stern look. "Heck, go and get laid, I don't care. I could use the grandchildren."

"Mom," I groan.

"I'm kidding. Just stay active! It's very important. You don't wanna end up like Uncle Vanitas, do you? That slacker hasn't been employed for two months and he's not doing a thing about it. I oughta whip 'im into shape the next time I see him!"

"What does this have to do with me?" I asked as I lazily rummaged through my closet, looking for an outfit for that day. "Besides, I actually happened to have plans today with three friends of mine."

She crossed her arms. "And just who are they?"

"Me, myself, and I. We were gonna binge Netflix with a few mid-movie naps in between. Myself was gonna go get snacks while Me worked the remote."

"Well, tell those three freeloaders that they aren't gonna loaf around my house today. Because you, young lady, are going to go out and have some fun." She gave me an unnecessarily hard pat on the back and I almost lost my balance due to grogginess. I gave her an annoyed grimace. "It's summer vacation!" she continued. "Sleeping is for winter break."

"But sleep is fun. It requires no effort, it feels great, it's healthy, and it doesn't involve sweating. Did I mention no effort?"

"Sweat is the compliment to hard work. You got five minutes to get your butt downstairs, or I'm coming back up here with a hammer and I will smash your TV into pieces. Then you'll have to get out of my house!" Those kinds of declarations were promises, not threats.

"Alright, alright," I said, shoving her out of my room. "I'm coming, don't get all crazy! Just let me get dressed and I'll be on my way down."

"That's what I like to hear," Mom said, proceeding to skip down the hall. I rolled my eyes and plopped back onto my bed as soon as the coast was clear. I think it's clear that despite looking similar, we're polar opposites. No less than ten seconds later, I heard her from the other side of my door. "I don't hear any 'getting dressed' in there!"

I always wished that one day I could develop her energy and work ethic. The way she ran our household was admirable. Despite my lazine—ahem, passiveness, I always strived to be more like her. To this day, it baffles me how one person could juggle errands, a job as a fitness coach, three teenagers, a part-time dance instructor on the weekends while also maintaining a rigorous workout schedule to keep her body in top shape at the same time without breaking a sweat. She is just goals all across the board.

Mom always wanted me to be more responsible like her. Her motto still rings in my ears to this very day. "No matter what happens, charity starts at home. Your family is your first and foremost priority." Those words hit hard the day we found out she was diagnosed with cancer. It was so sudden. There had been signs of it, but Mom was such a workaholic that she downplayed her pain and kept certain details from the rest of us until things got really bad. It started out as a urinary tract infection and since it was left untreated, it devolved into something much worse. It got worse when Dad couldn't work anymore when he ended up literally breaking his leg at work around the same time. Just our luck, he was complete uninsured. My siblings and I had to step it up and find jobs to keep our home sustained.

At first, I tried pursuing my passion—music. I attempted to sing for many recording studios, producers, and composers but none of them thought I was talented enough to let me actually record my own material. With nothing else on my plate, I was forced to get some real jobs. Let's just say that didn't work out too well. Believe me, there was a time when I tried being normal. I worked in retail, I got a position at a pizzeria, I even worked as a waitress in a four-star restaurant. The problem? I got fired from all of them because of my clumsiness. There was only one thing left to do—the only thing I suppose I'm good at.

Do I need to spell it out for you? Read the damn title.

Before then, I never realized how easy it was to make money off your sexuality and the hormones of our youth. All I had to do was walk up to them and offer an opportunity to penetrate me, and they'd say, "Name your price." It was thanks to Shiki and I that we didn't lose our house. To this day, Dad still questions us about this "mystery job" of ours, and he's yet to get a solid answer. He won't get one for a long time.

But at times like this, when I've curled up underneath the covers in the backseat of a van with Terra's arm wrapped around my bare waist, my eyes glued to the one hundred and fifty dollars he paid in return—insecurities tend to creep and accumulate, forming a wavering sensation of guilt.

Sure, it feels good to bring home hard earned money to my family and help keep a roof over our heads. Until the day when Mom finally comes home, the transition back into our old lifestyle will be a smooth one. Plus, it never hurts to have some extra money in my pockets. But then I ask myself, would my mother be proud of me? She always said to put the family first and do whatever it takes to keep them provided. But somehow I find myself wondering if she would actually approve of my methods of making ends meet.

If she saw me right now, what would she say?

She'd probably be ashamed of me. She'd probably wonder where she went wrong raising such a lost cause. The worst part about it is that I'm not sure if it's only about the money, though I wish it were. I actually enjoy having sex. I love being free to just fuck like animals with someone for a night or two and not allow it to develop into anything of substance. It's just raw physical contact with another human being. I've been able to render sex as nothing but a form of pleasure, unlike when I lost my virginity. That's when it felt more like an emotional process. It's become devoid of any emotion at this point. But it's become meaningless, and I bet Mom would probably disown me over it.

"Xion, what's the matter?" Terra breaks me out of my trance.

My eyes pop at the realization. "I'm sorry, what?" I sit up, adjusting my sunglasses to make sure they don't fall off my face. Fuck, my head hurts. Too much thinking going on here. Thinking is bad. Thinking is painful.

"You've been in another world for the past few minutes. You weren't responding."

"I just got a lot on my mind." It's not really a lie. After finding the strength to rise to my feet, I begin dressing. As I struggle to hoist my leggings above my hips, he chuckles. "Don't laugh. If you had a butt like this, you would understand."

"It's not that." He shakes his head. "I just can't believe you kept those sunglasses on the whole time."

"I look awesome in them."

He licks his lips and nods in agreement. "Guess I can't argue with that." He stands up and wraps his arms around my waist, delivering sweet smooches down the side of my neck. "But it's weird, you know... not being able to look you in the eyes," he whispers, his hot breath discharging tingles in my brain. I have to admit, he can be pretty intoxicating when he wants to be. "I've seen you without your glasses before, and you don't need 'em. You're beautiful."

As if I haven't heard that one before. "Cornball."

"And yet, it works every time."

"Seriously, let me get dressed."

Once we're fully clothed, Terra stretches before he plunks back down onto one of the spare chairs he had lying around.

"Okay, why the long face?" he asks. "You've been quiet ever since we finished. I wasn't bad, was I?"

What is it with guys and their lack of self-esteem whenever it comes to sleeping with me these days? They didn't seem to give a damn before. Now all of a sudden they care whether or not they please me? "Uh, you were great. You think the noises being made were in vain?"

"As if girls don't fake it sometimes."

"You know from experience?"

"I don't—that's why I'm asking you straight up."

I internally roll my eyes. If you're that insecure in your own abilities to the point where you feel the need to ask, then your assumptions are probably true. Nonetheless, he wasn't terrible at all. Admittedly, he was better than Riku. As nice as Riku is, he doesn't have that animistic passion like Terra. "You were great, Daddy. Don't worry about it." Oh, yeah. Don't mind that. He wanted me to call him "Daddy" while we were doing it. I guess he's into that sort of thing.

"Damn." He grins, rubbing his legs. "Saying stuff like that is gonna make me want to go for round two."

"Sure, if you can afford a round two."

He rises and makes his way towards me, inching closer to my face with his lips parting slightly. "Don't act like you don't want it."

This guy really thinks he's hot stuff. I slip under his arm and he ends up planting a fat, moist kiss against the wall.

"Wait just a minute. I'm not about to just give up services for free. You must be out of your mind."

He quirks a brow. "You said yourself that you liked sex. What's the problem now?"

"That's not even the issue. What you're talking about doesn't involve any pay. You think I do this just for kicks?"

He scoffs, waving it off as if it's unimportant. Instead, he wraps his arms around my waist. "It's not that big of a deal. You can keep the money I gave you, all I want is just a little more of this." He cops a feel on my backside and I immediately step back, giving him a hard one to the cheek.

"Hey, I just said no! Keep your hands to yourself."

With a heated gaze, he looks to me with his eyebrows beginning to weigh down. "I could tell you the same."

I cross my arms. "Either cough up another one hundred and fifty or go find some lotion and a web browser."

He snatches my arm and yanks me closer, his nose fuming out hot air. All of a sudden, I think I lost whatever temporary balls I just had and fear takes its place. But I do my best to hold my ground and don't budge from my own hard look. If he knows I'm scared, he'll take advantage of it. "Who do you think you're talking to?" He tosses me aside, sending me crashing into the wall.

I rub the back of my head. "Terra, what the hell...?"

He rubs his temples. "You're not talking to me like that. You are so not talking me like that! Do you hear me?"

"Geez, what is wrong with you?"

"Who the hell do you think you are? Don't talk to me like that. I'm not one of your little girl friends you can just push around. I am not afraid to knock some respect into you if I have to."

I rub my lips, checking to make sure there isn't any blood. "So, you're a brat who throws a hissy fit when they don't get their way? Is that what you're saying?"

He stomps towards me and jerks me to my feet before firmly shoving my back against the wall. I shudder slightly from his random spouts of intensity but quickly return rigid. Don't be scared, don't be scared, don't be scared. You are not going to pee your panties. "I'm saying that you're not going to disrespect me in my own fucking van. Okay? I just coughed up one hundred and fifty for you. The least you can do is show me some respect."

"You ought to learn how to treat a girl with some respect, freakin' woman beater!"

"Oh, I think you're sadly mistaken. I do treat girls with respect. But you're not a girl—you're a bitch. I only respect girls who have enough respect for themselves and the decency to not just let any guy plug themselves into her. But considering you've let just about everyone I know get inside of you for a quick buck, that makes you a bitch. And bitches don't just come in here and disrespect me like I owe 'em something. They feel privileged that I'm even sparing them the time of day. But the fact I just paid with the money I earned from a normal job and now you act like you're too good for me? You're not my girlfriend, so don't come give me your bullshit." Before I can retort, his hand latches around my throat. He shoves me against the wall and grinds his teeth. "You know what people say about you at school? Word travel's fast. They think you're worse than trash."

"Joke's on you, since you just paid one hundred and fifty bucks just to fuck trash."

He narrows his eyes. "Give me my money back."

"No way, asshole! You got what you asked for, so I got what I asked for!"

I hunch over and scream when I'm punched in the gut, momentarily knocking the wind out of me. Okay, maybe I should shut up now. This doesn't seem normal. Something must be wrong with him. His spurts of anger are too sudden. Jeez, what have I gotten myself into? Terra reaches into my jacket pockets and digs for his money, clenching it into his fist. Keeping an eye on me, he walks to the back door and pushes it open. "Get the hell out of my van. Your breath smells like my dick."

"How would you know what that smells like?" I ask breathlessly.

"Out," he demands, his eyebrows furbishing.

It takes me a moment to recover from his jab. After an instant of soft hyperventilating, I'm able to catch my breath. My body feels like it's on fire. I turn my head for a moment to fight back the tears. This is so embarrassing. The last time I remember getting hit by a guy was from my brother, but never anybody outside my family. Who the fuck does this guy think he is? If he thinks I'm leaving here empty-handed, he's sadly mistaken. I tidy myself up and strut out of his smelly old van, but not before delivering a good kick in the place where the sun don't shine. His knees buckle and he hunches over with his hands cupping over his crotch as he groans.

I reach for his pocket to retrieve my money, but he shoves me back and I tumble out of the van.

"I'm gonna beat the living shit out of you!" Terra screams.

You know, maybe empty-handed isn't so bad.

I can hear his explicit threats in the distance as I race away. All I know is that there's no way in hell I'm doing this project with him. If he even thinks I'm getting within three feet of his crazy ass, he's got another thing coming. I hide behind the corner of an alleyway and look over my shoulder to check if he's close behind. Fortunately, he's nowhere in sight, either because he's in too much pain to care or he just gave up. Either way, I'm alive. I actually thought Terra was a nice guy. But I have heard rumors of his impulsive temper whenever involved with sports. They say he's ruthlessly competitive—never thought it would translate in an actual social confrontation.

Taking a moment to catch my breath, I break out of my hiding spot and check my phone for the time. It's only six in the afternoon—about an hour and a half left before curfew. Still, I'd rather be home safe and sound than be swallowed whole by the town's resident delinquents. Not sure if I even want to be home tonight. I could always go to Kairi's place. It's Friday, and I'm always allowed to spend the night there.

I click on Shiki's contact name and stare out into the busy street neon with a dial tone ringing in my ear. "Hello?" Shiki asks.

"Shiki, I'm stranded out on Market Street with no money. I need you to—"

"Sorry, I'm not available right now. I'm a busy, busy girl, you know? So leave a voicemail or call me back at a later time and I'll get back at ya as I possibly can. Shiki, out!"

It was her stupid troll of a voicemail message. I stupidly fall for it every time and she refuses to change it no matter how many times I ask. Looks like I'm stranded out here until my sister can get back at me. She's probably out with some boy; that's usually when she deems it appropriate to ignore everybody else in the universe.

I press the appropriate button and leave her a message. "Alright bitch, while you're busy stuffing cock down your throat, just know that you were too conceited to bother picking up your stranded little sister! And Dad's gonna be pissed at you." I stuff my phone into my jacket pocket and notice my reflection in a jewelry store window to my left. Checking myself out, I look over my outfit in search of any ruffles and smooth out any wrinkles in the fabric.

Sighing, I roll up the sleeves of my leather jacket. It overlaps my navy blue tank top with white floral designs at the bottom, exposing my midriff. My hands sweep the dust off my leggings and boots. Most importantly, I make a quick check to see if my ass looks nice and round. Hey, it was a lot of work and squat training to get my bum looking as nice as it does, so I take pride in it. Deal with it. After adjusting my sunglasses, I set back out into town. I can only pray I don't get snatched up by some intoxicated moron.

It's already getting dark. Numerous lights of bright and garish colors varying from yellow to pale white glow on the nearby street lamps. Specific cobblestone tiles light up the road. The Market Street is probably the biggest and most populated area in Twilight Town; it's a big slope that stretches for miles until it leads into Tram Common, which is basically just an extension of the area. I walk underneath a dark sky lit up by diamonds. Many shops and restaurants line up on both sides of the street, and it seems that many fellow pedestrians are captivated by the peaceful ambiance that Twilight Town has become known for.

I stop my aimless walk in front of a club, with a big sign that says "Seventh Heaven" in bold, flashing letters. It seems quite lively with the garish lights bouncing around the scenery. A few drinks sound good right about now. There doesn't seem to be anyone guarding the front door, and worst case scenario is that I'll get kicked out. So, why not give it a shot? I'll probably regret it later on, but a drunken afternoon to spare myself a few unwanted memories might be just what I need.

Upon entering the clubhouse, a whiff of alcohol invades my personal space. It's a mixture of remarkably brain altering, chemically-driven booze that I feel like I'm getting drunk off the mere scent of it. This should be fun!

I'm surrounded by many round tables where men and women are unified, clanking glasses, spilling waterfalls of booze as they crack nonsensical jokes. In the center of it all is a large dance floor where many bob to the loud music in an uncoordinated clutter. Everyone is dressed rather fashionably. It's a healthy mix of classy and trashy present. There's even a big stage that towers over the floor where a DJ wearing a black tuxedo, a fedora, and sunglasses is handling the music. Behind the counter, there's a big shelf of drinks displayed in the radiance of more lighting. I could get used to this.

Seeing as though nobody seems to recognize me as a minor, I take my seat at the counter and try my best to act natural. Almost just as soon, one of the bartenders turn around and make eye contact.

"Hey, there!"

Whoa, I think I've just realized my first woman crush.

Long black hair down falls to her waist and tied at the tips to form a dolphin-tail split. She polishes a mug and I notice her black gloves. But damn, that sleeveless white shirt of hers is way too small for her—or maybe it wouldn't be if her boobs weren't so huge. I've legit just lost all confidence in my breast size. To top it all off, she garners a black miniskirt and some suspenders.

"You look a bit too young to be in here, little lady. How'd you get in?" She wipes uses a towel to wipe off a glass mug, giving me a warm smile all the while.

"What? Oh, pshh, no! I get that all the time! Even with my twenty-third birthday being just last week." I laugh, trying to act casual. Judging by her sly smirk, I don't think she's buying it. After allowing my fabricated laughter come to a gradual pause, I let out a whiny groan. "Is it that obvious?"

"What do you think?"

I sigh and raise my hands in defeat. "Okay, you caught me. But you guys should really keep a guard on check or something."

She slaps her forehead. "Damn it, Braig. He's probably in the back not following orders. Idiot just can't keep his hands off some alcohol for three seconds."

"Well, don't mind me. I just needed something to pass the time. You uh, think you could do an innocent girl like me a favor and keep this a secret?"

She places the mug on the rack, letting it sit to dry. She places a hand on her hip and leans her elbow against the counter. "I dunno, girly. Not sure if I feel like losing my job today."

"Aww, come on. I could totally pass for twenty-one."

She chortles. "Maybe nineteen. Ahh, what the hell. Why not? My boss probably won't be checking in for the rest of the night anyway. But this stays between us, alright? Don't go mouthing off to your little snot-nosed friends because if you do, then I've never seen you before."

"What friends?" I shrug.

She laughs. "You remind me of myself." She then enthusiastically outstretches her hand. "I like your face! Name's Tifa Lockhart."

"Um, thanks?" I giggle and shake her hand. "Xion Spades."

"Nice to meet you, Xi. What can I get ya?"

I've never been that much of a drinker, only on occasion. Unfortunately, I'm not very savvy when it comes to alcohol. "Whatever helps me forget a rough night." I toss my upper body on the counter in a heap of exhaustion. Tifa gives me a reassuring look, patting my hand softly.

"I can't do that for you, hon. You can stick around if you want to, but I'm not gonna get you drunk and let one of these morons convince you to go home with them."

Good point. I'd probably be too drunk to get them to pay me on top of that. "Fair enough. Thanks, anyway."

"Some water?"

"Meh, I'm good."

"You sure do look blue." She rubs her chin before snapping her finger as if a light bulb popped over her head. "Hey, I know what'll cheer you up! One of our best acts is about to go up on stage. You'll love him, he's hilarious!" She chuckles, looking behind me. "Oh, here he is now." She picks up a microphone that seems to be connected to the large speakers above us. "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to our very own original talent, Bob Saget!"

At the sound of that particularly familiar name, I turn around to spot a boy with golden blond hair making his presence felt up on the stage. Everyone takes their seats. He wears an outfit similar to bartender lady—a white muscle shirt and black slacks, though his shirt is overlapped by a white button down.

Wait, Roxas?!

"How y'all doin' tonight?" Roxas asks, followed by a less than enthusiastic response from the crowd. It seems like this isn't the first time they've seen him take the spotlight. "I got something special for you guys this evening. I'm gonna be spitting some hardcore bars, but it's gonna be off the top, so apologies in advance if it's mediocre. Which it most obviously will not, because I spit undeniable fire like a dragon."

I look over to the voluptuous woman in confusion and slight bewilderment. "He can rap?"

She laughs. "No way."

Roxas places the microphone on the stand and points to the DJ behind him. "Alright, hit me with that beat, yo!"

A generic hip hop beat plays in the background and the tipsy audience members sway along to it in half-coordinated rhythm.

"Put yo hands up in the air! Put yo hands up in the air!" Roxas chants. "A one, a two, a one, two, three! Yo, I'm the best rapper ever, people try to pull me down but they can't faze me never, 'cause I'm so fly I'm like a kite in the sky, and I'm not even tryin' and my butthole is dry!"

This is just embarrassing. I'm 99.9% positive that he's purposely making a fool out of himself for some laughs, and if he's not, then I'm worried. But the cringe is too real. I don't know what the hell this is, but I think I love it. Don't ask me to explain the stupid grin on my face, because I'm not sure why it's there either.

I look to Tifa with yet another expression of confusion. "Bob Saget?"

She smirks. "Let's just say that's his alias."

No, that's definitely Roxas alright. There's no mistaking it. I could never forget him and his stylishly spiky blond locks and blue eyes.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm M&M in this bish, and this ain't Hawaiian ish so it's not no Lilo and Stitch, ya bish! They say Ohana means family but I'll pop your daughter's cherry voluntarily, she won't be able to handle me, I'm full of insanity, screwin' your mom with profanity! Shittin' on your dick, and dickin' on your shit, shitting with my spit, so now I can say it's officially lit! Money, money, money - that is all I get! Don't disrespect me, I'm Rick James bitch!"

He's totally off-beat, nothing he says makes any sense, his dance moves are a joke, and his voice sounds horribly out of place. And yet, I love every second of it. The audience is ultimately split, with some sharing the same amount of joy out of this as much as I am, while others boo, hiss, and point their thumbs down as a sign of disrespect. Meanwhile, I find that my cheeks are numb from laughing so hard, and Tifa is splitting her sides like a madwoman right along with me. What is this? He seemed like such a generic square in class earlier. In a million years, I never expected Prince Charming to ever make such a fool out of himself like this, but it's an image that you can't quite put a price on.

Roxas seems to ignore all of the derision, continuing to rap his terrible rhymes.

"I might be white, but I put up a fight, and when you give me some Jordans, that is when I take flight! Aight? Straight outta Twilight! And that means my gold chains is nice! And I gots the ice! I gots the spice! Fuck the police comin' straight from the underground, a fuqboi got it bad cuz I'm... profound? Loud? But guaranteed, I'll knock you out of the picture, don't care if you're Asian, Caucasian, or a—"

"BOO!"

"Stripper! What? I was gonna say a stripper!" Roxas says. "Geez, what did you guys think I was gonna say? Why, I never!"

"Get off the goddamn stage!" a random audience member yells, reveling in all of the negative energy being tossed in Roxas' direction. Many others begin to adhere to his example, as what followers without any sense of individuality do.

"Half of that isn't even your rap!"

"Get some real entertainment up there!"

"What happened to the good old days when you needed talent to be allowed on stage?"

One woman even chucks her glass at him, spilling the contents of her drink all over his white shirt. Surprisingly, Roxas laughs it off.

"Aww, you're so sweet," he says, wringing his hands free from the stained red wine smeared all over his clothes. "Well, anyways, I know you all are looking forward to my mixtape. It's called "Flames" because it's straight up fire in every verse I spit. Keep 911 and the fire department on standby when you listen to it, stay safe, and don't be near any electric outlets. It drops in October. Everyone's going to go out and buy it, right?"

The negative portion of the crowd repeatedly chants, "Get off the stage! Get off the stage! Get off the stage!"

Roxas sends them air kisses. "You guys are just too much! Thank you so much for your support! I seriously wouldn't be here if it weren't for you guys and all the kindness you've shown me. I love you all!"

"BOOOO!"

Roxas hurries into the back area while simultaneously dodging an incoming glass chucked his way halfway across the room.

Tifa shakes her head. "That boy. He's never been afraid to make an ass out of himself."

I chuckle to myself. How ironic that I'd bump into him here of all places. This was the very last place I expected to find him, but how on earth did a minor like him land a job at a bar?

"Alright, I'll see ya later," Tifa says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Where are you going?

"All Bob is supposed to do is pump the crowd up. He's the opening act. It's my turn to go and give them some real entertainment. Wish me luck!"

"Oh, sure. Break a leg."

Tifa rests her towel on the rack and jogs up to the stage. She takes the microphone and points to the back. "Let's give one more round of applause for the amazing, Bob Saget!"

Only hollers of discouragement follow. This audience really needs to get a sense of humor.

"Alright, okay, simmer down," Tifa says, laughing. "The regulars know that Mr. Saget only comes up here to troll you guys. But if you wanted some real music, well, you've come to the right place. Hit it!"

The stage lights dim into a warm, midnight blue hue, revealing well-dressed DJ from earlier in front of a piano, stroking the white and black keys beautifully. Tifa's voice compliments his composition melodiously as she sings a peaceful smooth jazz segment. Gotta say, her voice is pretty on point. I find myself tapping to the rhythm against the counter.

"Hey, aren't you that pretty lady from my AP English class?"

I whip my head around to find Roxas' and his smirks as he leans against the counter. "Funny you should say that, because I thought you looked like this cute boy that's in my AP English class, Bob Saget."

He shrugs. "Small world, huh?"

"Okay, what the hell was that? Please, enlighten me."

"It was my act. Did you like it? Or was it too much heat for you to handle?"

"More like it was just plain weird. Hilarious, but so ungodly weird."

"I get that a lot. I just like to troll the audience sometimes. It's funny seeing their reactions."

"Doesn't it get tiring, having them boo you off the stage the whole time?"

"Nah, it's not like they're relevant to my life or anything. But it's fun to see them getting excited. Think I'll make it as a rapper one day?"

"Yep, you're the next Vanilla Ice, for sure."

He scoffs. "Is that an insult or a compliment?"

"Take it as you like. Also, Bob Saget? What's that all about?"

He rubs the back of his head with a bashful smile. "It's kinda how I'm known around here." He digs into his back pocket and flips open his wallet to show me an I.D card. "See?"

Sure enough, there's a picture of Roxas with the name "Bob Saget" attached next to it. "Well, you're certainly the youngest looking twenty-two year old I've ever seen."

"I know, right? I blame leg day," he says as he takes his wallet back. "My uncle owns the place. He insisted that I work here to keep an eye on me, so I had to get a fake I.D. I won't be needing it anymore coming this November when I turn eighteen, though. But I think I'll maintain the Bob Saget moniker. It sounds funny, especially when you put emphasis on Saget."

"He'd risk his job and reputation for that?"

He chuckles. "You don't know my uncle. He always has a plan B."

"I'll take your word for it." I shift my attention to Tifa. We allow her soulful vocals to fill in the comfortable silence. The audience seems to have calmed their shit over Roxas's atrocity of a performance, if you want to even call it that.

"She's pretty good, huh?" Roxas breaks the silence.

I nod in agreement. "Yeah, makes me a little envious. I love how she soothes into each note. I need to learn how do that."

He rubs his chin with a thoughtful look. "So wait, you can sing?"

I shrug, looking a tiny bit sheepish. "Maybe... a little. I don't think I'm that good."

"Why do you say that?"

"I've sung for people before. Let's just say, they weren't too receptive."

"Really, now? Has everybody said that?"

"Friends and family tell me I'm amazing, but ask an agent and he'll tell me I still have lots of work to do. 'Tis life, I suppose."

"I find that hard to believe."

I only offer another shrug, not wanting to delve too deep into the topic. I think it goes without saying that I could go without memories of being embarrassingly shunned by those high and mighty producers and executives who acted like I wasn't good enough for them. It seems that he takes the hint and doesn't further the conversation.

Tifa ends the song and receives a well-deserved round of applause, with a few catcalls and suggestive whistles from the male demographic thrown into the mix.

"Thank you." She bows slightly. "Thank you. Aww, you're beautiful! Thank you!" The audience gradually comes to a pause. "Before we end the show for tonight, I'd like to bring my little buddy Bob Saget up here one more time!"

The public doesn't respond too well to that and Tifa laughs at their reaction. I feel a hand shake my shoulder. Turning around, Roxas gives me a mischievous grin.

"Come up on stage with me."

I chuckle. "Are you crazy? And get pelted by tomatoes alongside you? No thanks."

He rolls his eyes. "Don't be a baby." He opens a little hatchet leading to the outside of the counter, snatches me by the hand, and pulls me out of my seat while jogging towards the stage, tugging me along involuntarily.

"R-Roxas, no!"

"It'll be fun!"

He dodges a few glasses hurled our direction, but his unwavering smile has got me a little on edge. Seriously, this kid is freakishly happy.

He leaps up on stage effortlessly and bows before the rambunctious crowd. He turns around and offers a hand to help me up. Looks like I can't back out now. I'd look like a total stuck up brat if I just left him hanging. I don't have a choice but to let him lift me up to the stage.

"What's your name, again?" he asks.

"U-Um, Xion... Xion Spades."

"Gotcha." Tifa and Roxas share some kind of secret handshake before he walks towards the microphone stand, ignoring all of the disdain from this overly tough crowd. "Well, if it isn't my adoring public."

"Shut the hell up, Bob!"

"Love you, too!" He pretends to blow a kiss at the crowd. "I'd like to introduce you guys to my girl, Xion Spades! She's come up here to perform for you guys. I hear she's a really awesome singer!"

Oh, you asshole!

"How about it, Xi? Is it cool if I call you Xi?" Roxas asks with an admittedly cute grin, with almost apologetic eyes. But that shall not deter me from my enraged disposition and the desire to bite his head off his shoulders!

"Sing! Don't chicken out!" yells some random ass clown in the midst of the blurred crowd. Why doesn't _he_ come up here and pour his heart out on stage in front of a bunch of strangers? The alcohol must be talking for these morons at this point. An awkward silence dominates the room with all eyes penetrating my heart and discharging my anxiety. My body temperature rises to unforeseen levels of armpit sweat and I gulp down a dry lump down my throat.

Well, shit.

* * *

Yo.

Hope you liked this chapter! Got to see more of Roxas, huh? Tell me what you guys think of him, he's pretty goofy!

Since school's back in season, updates are going to start coming on weekends and to do it more consistently, I'm giving myself a two week deadline. I just hate going a month or two without updating so hopefully this will keep me from procrastinating all the time.

So, what did you think about this chapter? Loved it? Hated it? Let me know in a review! Please... for my soul...

Much love and thanks to, **Ken7700, SoraxKairi7, BlissfulNightRain, both of the Guests, Dario Flaman, Right Face, and Snow. x . Fairy** for leaving reviews! You guys are all awesome sauce!

Another special thanks to **SoraxKairi7** for beta reading this for me and helping me out a little! She added some stuff into Roxas's rap too lol so obviously we are the next Kid N Play.

 **#bananasquad**


	5. Desire

**Chapter 5**

So, it's official. Roxas is a bastard.

I'm having a hard time resisting the rousing urge to smack that annoying little smirk right off his face. He chucks the microphone towards my chest and gives me an irritating wink. This looks like a scenario of multiple choices. I've narrowed it down to three options:

A. Tell Roxas to go fuck himself, drop the mic like a badass with shades sliding over my eyes, a lit joint peering from my mouth, and a loud track blaring in the background.

B. Run away.

C. Sing and just pray to whatever holy deity out there that my voice doesn't sound like a pained, toe-curdling shrill of a tortured sloth.

I think the third option might be the most plausible. But I hate being put on the spot. Especially by some asshole who thinks they can just troll your anxiety whenever they want, but then if you refuse, _you're_ the bad guy. Honestly, did I ask for someone to assume they can just toss me in front of a crowd like I'm some kind of circus attraction?

His hand rests on my stark shoulder and an odd sense of relief soon follows after looking deeper into his azure eyes: warm and confident. It's like he believes in me, and I believe him when he believes in me. I think I'm gonna barf from all the cheese in that sentence alone.

"Don't worry. You're fine," he assures.

A sharp spotlight envelops my figure. Well, that was fast. Anybody else thinking this a bit sudden and out of nowhere? I can barely see anything beyond the dazzle even with my sunglasses. The crowd itself has turned into a big, black blur of emptiness. Squinting, I look out into the audience to detect any sign of life. It's like the room was engulfed by emphatic silence; not even the crickets dare interrupt this moment of solitude.

The heat of the spotlight is oddly soothing and since I can't see anything beyond it, I guess I can just pretend that there's nobody else here. I inhale and imagine that it's just me practicing by myself. That might make things a little easier.

"U-Um, hey there," I stutter. This is so weird. It's like I'm taking to myself. Yet I know my voice is currently audible to an entire crowd of randoms, but I don't see them... it's so confusing. I'm confusing myself. I'm rambling.

"So, I'm just gonna sing and stuff. Because that's like, what I do..." No response. "Okay then, um... not sure how I should start, but uh—"

"It's okay to be shy!" Roxas interrupts, peeking into the spotlight just enough so that I can see the outline of his unmistakable silhouette.

You know, he's more annoying than I imagined him being. "You're not helping, dude."

Despite this, he grabs a microphone from the side and walks around the stage gesturing to the crowd obnoxiously. "Let's make some noise for Xion! Sing! Sing! Sing! Sing!"

The crowd joins in. "Sing! Sing! Sing! Sing! Sing!"

Well, this is totally _not_ humiliating. Way to promote peer pressure, assholes.

"Hey, leave the poor girl alone," Tifa says, snatching the mic from Roxas. "Don't you guys see that she's—"

"No, it's alright," I interrupt. This is supposedly what I've always wanted, right? The ability to perform on an actual stage in front of a live audience. If I can't handle this, then I have no business pursuing this kind of career. Time to be a big girl.

Taking in a sharp breath, I let a breathy chord escape from the pit of my diaphragm. Shutting my eyes, my world becomes empty; nothing but my voice fills the space. I think I'm doing okay. No voice cracks, no tension in my throat, and I'm breathing comfortably. What sucks is that the way I hear it may be different from how others hear it.

I remember back when I was a kid and I'd record myself singing. In my head, I sounded like the goddess of music, but then when I heard the playback it was an embarrassingly different story and they were promptly deleted. Trust me, I did the entire world a favor with that one. Let's just hope that isn't the case in this instance.

I bellow a final cord an entire octave above my previous note and finish abruptly. When I open my eyes, my senses return and the spotlight disappears as the house lights up. The crowd stares at me with vaguely blank expressions. I'm not sure if it's provoked from admiration or confusion. Damn it, say something!

They erupt with... applause? I'm actually being applauded. The feeling is bizarre; overwhelming, but in a good way. I think? Numerous unidentified voices praise my talent from afar. All I did was sing a few notes to show off my range, nothing too special. Roxas claps from the side, looking like a proud older brother or something.

I try my hardest to twitch the ends of my lips into an incredibly forced and uncomfortable smile, meekly waving to the adoring crowd. It's not that I don't appreciate the flattery, but it's a little embarrassing. But before I know it, my ankle gets tangled up over one of the stupid microphone cords plugged up into the amp and I tumble to the floor.

Two words: Fuck. Me.

The worst part is that my sunglasses slip right off my face, leaving my black eye naked for public scrutiny. The ovation desists on an almost perfect cue. Well, let's just make this night more embarrassing, why don't we? I'm waiting for them to just pull out a bunch of tomatoes at this point. I shut my eyes and wait for something to happen just to break this uneasy tension.

The next thing I know, I hear a voice. Roxas has the microphone and he prances around the stage like a fool.

"Put yo hands up in the air! Put yo hands up in the air! Woot woot!" He must be trying to distract them.

The crowd's attention seems to shift towards him in the matter of seconds and they shout their cruel expletives just like before.

"Yo, I'm Roxas, when I rap, it's like the apocalypse, because I kill every rapper in the game with my dominance and confidence. Yeah, boy, I be makin' this cheddar, though, like yo yo yo, I got flow and hella chicks that like to blow! Are you not entertained?!" He lends me a hand and helps me up. "One more round of applause for my girl, Xion!"

With what has to be the most chaotic and bipolar audience I've ever witnessed in my entire life, they stop their tyranny and look to me with warm smiles of appreciation. As proposed by Roxas, they applaud once again and he wraps an arm around my shoulder as if I'm the best damn thing to step foot in this club.

As for me? I just want to go home and die softly inside. So, can I just go now?

 ** _S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S_**

After the club calmed down, a good portion of those in attendance decided to leave. They dragged their drunken, intoxicated bodies along with whomever the unlucky designated driver who was forced to drink water the whole night happened to be.

Roxas offered to take me home a few minutes ago before disappearing into the back to retrieve his stuff. He said he has his own car. Ooh, la la.

"Tifa, I'm heading out for the night," Roxas says, walking out from the back with a jacket wrapped around his shoulders.

"Okay," she calls from the counter.

Keeping my head low, the floor suddenly seems more interesting. Roxas lifts my chin and our eyes meet. He wears that stupid signature grin of his that I'm already starting to have a love-hate relationship with. I reel back from his hold and avert my gaze to the side. He makes it really hard to be mad at him for putting me on the spot without much stimulus.

"You know, your frown is kinda cute. But your smile is cuter."

I roll my eyes but smirk playfully. These guys and their pickup lines. I'm convinced it's just a running joke at this point. "Was that your attempt at being a flirt?"

He scratches the back of his head. "That depends. Did it work?"

I pat him on the shoulder. "At least you tried."

"Ouch." He holds a hand to his chest. "My manhood felt the wrath of that one..."

"What?"

"It's a guy thing. Come on, I wanna show you the whip. You're gonna love my Lamborghini."

My jaw drops. "You have a Lamborghini?"

He leads me outside into the airy evening streets of Twilight Town. "Yep, she's beautiful. Seriously, I never experienced true love before her." He turns around with a more mellow expression. "You don't understand. The insanely odd urge to stick my rock hard erection into the back exhaust pipes and fuck the shit out of that thing is severely tempting."

I can't tell if he's being serious or not. "Um... waiting for the part where you tell me you're joking."

"Of course I'm joking, but your face was hilarious. I'm a troll, if you couldn't tell from earlier and I feed off the priceless reactions from others. It's what I do."

"You're weirder than I thought you'd be."

He laughs. "I get that sometimes, but it comes with the job. Working as a troll has its benefits. Like my job, for instance. I get paid enough to chill at my own place, so I don't mind."

"So, you have a Lamborghini _and_ your own place?" I ask in shock as we turn the corner. He turns around halfway and grins.

Well, just bend me over right here and now, why don't you?

"Here we are." We enter a parking lot across the street with a sign detailing a strict "employees only" across it.

My eyes wander over in search of any expensive vehicles. "Where's your car at?"

He slides over to a blue Camry. "Here she is!"

I should have known it was too good to be true. It should have became apparent the moment he admitted to being a troll. Honestly, why did I fall for that in the first place? A seventeen-year old rocking a Lamborghini? And I'm pretty sure he isn't one of the many rich kids attending Twilight High. I palm my forehead for falling for being such an idiot. "So, this is the car you've fantasized intercourse with?" I ask with a chuckle.

"Gorgeous, isn't she?" He pats the back trunk like a father proud of his kid for hitting the game-winning shot. He slides over to the driver's side. I take the initiative to slip into the passenger seat. "Okay, joking aside. This is a 1994 Camry... and it's used."

"I figured."

"Also, I don't have my own place. But! Before you bash on my self-esteem, I do live with my older brother."

"Having your own place and a Lamborghini at seventeen-years-old made you hotter, though."

He raises a brow. "Now, I ain't saying she a gold digger, but..."

"Okay, I didn't mean it like that."

He smiles as if he doesn't believe me. "Whatever you say."

With a switch of his car keys, the car engine roars. Music blares from the system speakers. But that doesn't surprise me. It's the actual song playing that makes a question mark pop over my head.

 _Don't worry, about a thing_

 _Cause, every little thing, gonna be alright_

 _Singing, don't worry, about a thing_

 _Cause, every little thing, gonna be alright_

"Mob Barley?" I didn't think he would listen to this kind of stuff. It's not for me, but I won't judge. He grins sheepishly with a shrug.

"I like-a da reggae music, mon."

"There's a 4/20 marijuana joke in here somewhere keeping quiet..."

"I don't smoke, so it's not likely. Sing it with me, Xion!" He waves his hands in the air as much as he can and sways to the side. "Rise up this morning, smiled with the god damn rising sun! Three little birds! Take a crap on my doorstep, because that's all they're good for! Singing sour songs! Of melodies pure and true! Saying, this is my message to you hoo hoo hoo! Bitch, don't worry, about a thing...!"

It's like he's trying to make it sound like a modern turn up track or something, but his voice sounds like a metal vocalist. This is actually hilarious, but it's one of those things where if I tell it to someone, it'll sound ridiculous. But if you were actually there, you can't help but clutch your sides from laughter. Like me right now, for instance.

"Stop it!" I yell through giggles. "You're gonna get us in trouble having it up that loud! Not to mention your terrible singing!"

He sighs. "Fine, if you can't appreciate my heavenly musical talent on this one, how about this?" He hits the next button, and I can't help but cringe just from the few opening beats. This song is unmistakable. It's hardly as relevant these days, but oh god, it still haunts me.

"Oh no..." I mutter.

Roxas nods with a cheeky smile. "Oh ho, yes!" He does the fist pump dance. "I'm in _love_ with da coco! I'm in _love_ with da coco! I got it for the low, low!"

I shake my head as he makes the stupidest faces I've ever seen in my life, but the laughter makes my eyes glossy.

"You're supposed to get turnt, Xion! This is the greatest song of all-time!"

"You don't really listen to this garbage, do you?"

"Can't hear you! Too busy listening to the greatest song of all-time!"

After finally getting Roxas to calm down from "turning up", he shakes it off with a laugh and backs out of the parking lot. I just thank God he's playing some actually good music now at modest volume.

"So, where are we headed?" he asks.

The urge to be all smooth and say, "your place" is strong right now. "I live on Tram Avenue."

"Let's hit it." There's a few beats of silence. "Tense?"

"Huh? Oh, no." I'm just a little conflicted. For the first time in months, I find myself not looking at someone for their physical attributes or how generous of a wallet he may have. It's just fun to be around him. I think I might actually like him for his actual _personality_ and stuff. It feels a little disgusting. What is wrong with me? What happened to the termination of my affectionate interface?

I have to calm down. Pursuing a relationship is out of the question, but I don't see any harm in trying to turn this into a business venture. Like I said, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make up for lost revenue. But if I'm being completely honest with myself here, I pretty much just want to avoid going home for the night. My only concern is that I don't really know Roxas that well. I could very well be setting up my own demise.

Screw it.

"But you know, if you don't mind, I'd rather not go home tonight. My father wouldn't exactly appreciate me walking in at this hour." It's not really a lie. But in hindsight, he'd probably brush it off and go to bed.

"Is that right?"

"It's not pretty when he gets mad, I'll tell you that much."

"Oh," Roxas says, becoming visibly uncomfortable. "Sorry, I didn't know. Is that where the black eye came from? I wanted to ask because I was worried, but I wasn't really sure how to go about it."

Great. Now I feel bad for making him feel bad. My father has never laid a hand on me once in my entire life. "No, my dad isn't that cruel. This was just an accident, don't worry. Home just isn't where I want to be right now." He looks like he doesn't believe me, but he doesn't prod further. I slither my hand towards his thigh so that he gets an idea of what's up. "I think I'd have more fun hanging out with you, anyway."

He smirks. "I see. In that case..." He executes a reckless U-turn that knocks me back into my seat. "I guess we're heading back to my place! You're gonna need a place to sleep, right?"

Yeah, in your bed.

"Besides, it's Friday. It shouldn't be too big of a deal."

I make no effort in fighting against the involuntary smirk stretching my cheeks. That's another hook, line, and sinker. Finally, I can bang somebody who I actually like. Not that I _like_ like him, he's just... cute.

"I'll text Dad and tell him I'm spending the night at a friend's place tonight. It'll make him take it easy on me when I go back home."

"Looks like I'm having my first slumber party, huh?"

"Who says we have to sleep?"

I may just rock his world all night if I want to. But we'll just keep that to myself for now so that it'll be a surprise when we actually get to work.

"Oh, I get it," he says, his voice suggestive. I think he gets the memo. "We can watch a scary movie marathon all night! That's actually a great idea!"

Or not.

He's probably just kidding around as usual. Guys can be stupid sometimes, but I like to think my signals have been pretty strong.

After texting Dad, I pull out some gum and toss it into my mouth. After all, Terra said my breath smelled like his dick earlier. It never hurts to be prepared. I hand over a stick to him as well.

"Gum?"

"Sure."

I'm sure his breath doesn't stink, but if we're going to make out, you can never be too sure. This ought to be interesting.

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

He messes with his door lock for a bit before finally juggling it open.

"Hate this door. I've told my brother a million times to get it fixed." He flings his jacket to a couch. "Ven, I'm home!" After a dead response, he shrugs it off. "He's probably asleep."

The setup in this apartment isn't anything special. It's a standard living room with a couch, a TV, with a kitchen behind it consisting of only an island counter and a refrigerator. It's nice and tidy, though.

"So, why don't you live with your parents?" I shut the door behind me.

He plops onto the couch and turns on the television. "Dad insisted." He pats the spot next to him, gesturing me to sit next to him. "Long story short, my brother is generally a really great guy. He used to always be on top of things. I was kinda the goof of the family, so Dad was always more proud of him."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Nah, it's okay. I don't hold anything against him. Ven is just his trophy son." He kicks his legs up on the table. "Ven ended up getting this girlfriend named Aqua, and he was just head over heels for her." He sighs, leaning against the puffy arm rest. "Unfortunately, he fell into a pretty deep case of depression after he found out she cheated on him multiple times with who he thought was his best friend at the time."

"Oh... that's horrible." I can relate to that. I'm no stranger to betrayal. It's left an emotional scar and keeps me cautious. Thus, my trust issues. Just the thought of cheaters makes my blood boil.

"I know, right? And guess what? It was that jerk that goes to our school too, Terra."

My eyes nearly bulge out of my skull. "Are you serious?"

He nods. "Him and Ven were best buds since they were kids, but Terra just stabbed him in the back. They don't talk anymore."

"Is he and Aqua still together?"

"I dunno. You'd have to ask him that. He's your partner for the project, isn't he? I've talked to him before and he seems like a great guy on the surface, but something about him just isn't right. Just be careful around him."

"Don't have to tell me twice." My previous encounter with him is still fresh in my mind.

"Ven was really depressed and his grades started slipping, and he got kinda lazy. He didn't even go to college after graduating at the top of his class last year. My dad and Ven got into it, a lot. It was a big philosophical battle regarding responsibility or something. So, Dad challenged him live out on his own to test how responsible he is. The funny part is that a few weeks later, Ven got a job for a call center position and it pays pretty good. In the end, he was able to make enough to afford renting out this place and I decided to kick it here just to take some time away from my folks."

"Well, at least the story has kind of a happy ending. And a convenient one..."

"Right? It won't be long before we move out of this dingy apartment and Ven rents an actual house. Hey, you want something to drink?"

Pause.

I don't trust anyone. Who's to say he doesn't spike the drink and have his way with me? If we're doing this, I'm getting my money. "No, that's okay."

"Suit yourself." He pats me on the thigh and gets up from his spot. "'Bout to gets me some of that Paopu punch!"

Oh wait, he was talking about juice. Not alcohol. Still, it can be spiked.

After a moment of studying the TV, I realize we're on the midnight horror channel. He wasn't being serious earlier about a movie marathon, was he? Maybe he's trying to do that cliché trope with me getting scared and using his shoulder for comfort, giving him the perfect opportunity to make a move. What a lovable dork.

Horror movies usually don't scare me, but I suppose I can fake it.

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

Okay, so we've watched like three movies and he _still_ hasn't made a move. Something is severely wrong.

Is it me? Seriously, is it just me? He's only been scarfing handfuls of popcorn and belching every ten minutes. He barely acknowledges my existence when some idiot in the movie opens the door they're obviously not supposed to open and I pretend to be scared by clutching his shoulder. He just laughs at me for like three seconds and drones back out into the movie again.

I would have expected him to say something kind of cute like, "Baby, don't be afraid, I got you," with a soft set of indigo eyes looking directly into mine, fulfilling me with a sense of security as he protects me in the warmth of his embrace. Then, when the credits roll, we're overcome with passion, make out, and get down to business.

But no. Fucking, no. Instead, when the credits roll, he only gives me a mischievous smile and says something along the lines of, "That was fun! Wanna watch another?"

No, I do not want to watch another! I want you to penetrate me, you idiot!

The credits finally roll on the fourth, and last movie we planned on watching tonight. It was so terrible that it wasn't even worth pretending to be scared. Besides, I lost the energy to care at this point. He stretches his sore limbs with a yawn. "Alright, I'm getting kinda tired. I think I'm ready to hit the hay."

I wait for him to say more, but nothing comes. Then I realize he's looking at me as if he's waiting for _me_ to say something.

Come on! Aren't you going make a dirty joke? Invite me to your room? Kiss me? Take initiative? Do _something?_ Guys are supposed to make the first move! That is the law of the world!

"Anyway," Roxas says, breaking the awkward air. "You can sleep here on the couch or in my bed, doesn't matter to me. You're the guest, so I don't mind if you want the bed. Don't be afraid to say so."

Oh, I see now. There's his move. Though, I was hoping his delivery would be a little more, I don't know, aggressive than that. But who cares? Sex doesn't sound too bad right now. Lately, sex has been, and felt like a job—but now I need some just to clear my mind. A breath of fresh air. It should be nice to get with somebody that I actually like, unlike Terra, who thinks his physical attractiveness makes up for his shit personality.

But for the first time in a while, I can say that I am getting laid tonight, and I am proud of it.

"I'll take the bed," I say with my most sensual voice, gently licking my lips. For some reason, he looks at me like I'm some kind of fool.

"Um, okay. Come on, I'll show you the way."

He gets up and just walks down the hall, and after processing that, I follow. He didn't even take my hand. Maybe he's a virgin and doesn't have much experience? Am I reading too deep into things? These are not good signs.

Why is he putting it off so much? You'd think this would be a turn off, but surprisingly, I find myself more intrigued. What's he hiding? Does he have some sort of secret? Why is he acting like this? He hasn't even suggested sex all night. Ironically, this makes me want it even more just to figure out what the hell his problem is. Seriously, if this were any other horny bastard, he would've ripped my clothes off the moment we stepped foot inside his apartment.

The hall is short and narrow. Three doors line up on the parallel walls, two of the left, one on the right: one for his room, one for the bathroom, and one that I'm assuming where his brother stays. He opens the door on the right wall and presents his room. It isn't very special, but the bed looks mighty comfortable.

"As you can see, my room obviously should have been on MTV Cribs."

"At least you got a nice bed."

"Doesn't make up for the bed bugs." I turn to him with eyes as wide as saucers. "Got ya! Make yourself at home." He winks. "Well, don't be afraid to wake me up if you need anything."

"Where are you going?"

"The couch. You chose the bed, remember?" He chuckles. "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." His face turns serious. "Literally." I stare at him cautiously. "Kidding!" he laughs, shutting the door before stopping halfway with a creepy grin. "Or am I?"

Before I can question him, he shuts the door. His footsteps fade into silence.

Wait a minute.

What. The actual. Fuck.

Okay, maybe he's planning on surprising me. Roxas did say he's a troll, after all. Maybe he's needs to freshen up and then he'll come back in here with a big goofy smile telling me it was just a prank. Then we can stop playing games and finally do what we came to do.

Yeah, that's what this is. Just a silly prank. Right?

I stare at the bed with caution. He said he was kidding about the bed bugs, but I'm not sure if I should trust him. Then again, he's a troll. I can't trust anything he says. Still, he doesn't seem like the type to let me sleep in his bed if he knew it was actually infected.

I strip down until I'm in nothing else but my lingerie, position myself on his bed, and await for his return.

Yep, just waiting.

And waiting...

And waiting...

And waiting...

And waiting...

Screw this. After twenty-five minutes of staring at the ceiling, I decide to march out of bed.

I head back into the living room and can't believe my eyes.

He's on the couch with drool slipping down the side of his mouth while snoring the night away as the TV plays almost silently in the background.

* * *

Finally able to crank this one out!

Much love and thanks to **MetallicMedallion, Guest #1, #2, and #3, Right Face, snow . fairy, SoraxKairi7, and Ken7700** for leaving me lovely reviews last chapter! Y'all the real MVPs.

 **To Guest #2: Yes, Terra is very pathetic but we haven't seen the last of him either! And well, Terra doesn't have a wife because he's only 17 XD but does he have a gf? o.o we'll have to keep reading to find out!**

I'd respond to the other Guests, but understand that there's not much for me to say to short sentences, but I do appreciate you taking the time to say something! Don't mistake that!

Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter and/or any other areas you think I can improve! Thanks for reading!

Btw, you guys should listen to In the Night by the Weeknd, it is literally like Xion's theme song. Also, Keisha's Song by Kendrick Lamar is a really good theme for Xion as well.

 **#bananasquad**


	6. Turbulence

**Chapter 6**

I'm impatient.

They say that slow and steady wins the race. I say fuck that—that's overrated and time-consuming. I cut to the chase. I'm straight to the point. I strike while the iron is hot.

With that in mind, you'd think my signals were strong enough for Roxas to get the hint, but who knew one could be so clueless? Either that, or he noticed but just didn't act on his inner primary instincts. No way. Any guy with a penis and a healthy libido wouldn't dare pass up an opportunity to pound the intestines out of a horny high school girl in an apartment with literally zero parental supervision to stop us. I'm an opportunist, I should know this.

His room is pale. Dirty laundry litters the peach carpet and empty cans of soda are scattered on the nightstand. It looks like Roxas is a slight slob, but nothing unbearable.

I get out of bed and stretch the morning ache away. Still a bit dizzy, I lose my balance and almost topple to the ground. Even though I went to bed sexless, despite having a living breathing male in just the other room, I slept like a baby. His bed is my new reason for existing. It's queen-sized with a blue comforter, so soft and fuzzy that you can just sink into it.

Someone dares walk in without knocking. They're lucky, because if this were my house and my room, all hell would break loose. At first glance, I'd say it's Roxas, but he looks a little older. Taller, if only slightly. His hair isn't nearly as crisp and he has a faint stubble. He eyes me up and down, oddly relaxed. I give him a "what the hell is your problem" stare before looking down to see that I'm still in nothing but my bra and panties. I forgot that I stripped down last night because I was under the impression that Roxas was gonna slip in here and give me some of that midnight lovin'.

Honestly, I don't really care. It's a shame that I'm used to guys looking at me like a juicy steak, but it doesn't bother me much. What bothers me is how rude and inconsiderate he's acting. Is he not going to say anything? Is he going to just sit there and let his eyes feast on my near nude form?

I place my hands on my hips and shoot him a glare. "Problem?"

"Nah."

Is that all? He's just going to sit there and stare like a creep? Shut the door, damn you! I shouldn't have to tell him this. He takes a long, extensive sip from his orange juice as if this weren't awkward enough, and carelessly smacks his lips. What an asshole.

"So, aren't you going to close the door so I can get dressed?"

"Nah."

"A little privacy would be appreciated."

"Don't mind me, pretend I'm not here. I'm just enjoying the view." He takes another sip as he scans my body like a predator. Rolling my eyes, I stomp my way towards the door ready to slam it hard enough to hopefully break his nose. He doesn't move an inch even as I attempt to slam the door shut, but at the last second, he stops me. "Aw, don't be like that..."

"Roxas!" I use all of my strength to shut the door. Moments pass before I hear Roxas' weary voice from the other side.

"What's going on?" he asks.

"Who's the chick?" that creepy older version of Roxas asks. I guess this must be the big brother Roxas mentioned yesterday. I have to say, didn't picture him to be like that. Suddenly, I don't feel so bad that he got cheated on. But then again, that might be the reason why he's acting like this.

"Oh, you mean Xion? She needed place to crash last night."

"She seemed to be mighty comfortable. You smashed?"

"What?" Roxas asks, his voice full of confusion and slight anger. "No way! You know I'm not like that."

The other voice laughs. "Liar. Girls don't come over a dude's house to not do anything, let alone sleep in his bed fully nude."

"Nude? What did you do, you pervert?"

"Nothing, I promise. Might wanna ask your little lady friend, you sly dog, you! It's been awhile since you brought one of em home."

"I'm not like that anymore." While they argue, I quickly slip back into my clothes. I'm so ready to just leave this place. It was a waste of my time. "Xion?" Roxas asks. He knocks on the door. "I'm coming in," he warns.

"Okay."

"You're... decent, right?"

I roll my eyes and blow on my bangs. Is this guy seriously that prude? "Yeah, sure."

There's a moment of silence. "You said it like you don't mean it. Are you positive that you're—"

"Oh, for god's sake, Roxas!"

He relents and opens the door, albeit hesitantly. He sighs and holds a hand over his chest once he finds me dressed from top to bottom. "Oh, thank goodness."

What's his problem? He's acting like he's allergic to naked women. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't sleep with him. I get the feeling it wouldn't have been a very pleasant experience. I cross my arms and launch a much deserved glare his way.

His smile fades away immediately. "What's wrong? What did I do?"

"Sorry. I was just under the impression that I disgusted you."

Ignoring his baffled expression, I march past him and into the living room. He chuckles. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Whatever."

"What's wrong with you?" I refuse to respond. If he's gonna act this clueless, he can forget it. "Hey, cut it out!" I grab the doorknob but before I can twist, he grabs me by the arm. "Hey..." Roxas sighs. "Xion, where are you going?"

Snapping my fiercest glare, he slowly lets go and smiles nervously. He rubs the back of his head. Oh, forget it. It's no use being angry with him—but I can still be disappointed.

I release a prolonged sigh. "I don't know."

"I figured. Why don't you stick around for a while? I was thinking maybe we could hang out."

"And do what?"

"I just kinda wanted to get to know you. That's all."

He wants to get to know me? Yeah fucking right. The last time I fell for that "trying to get to know me" bullshit I ended up crying on Kairi's shoulder for an hour and a half. He thinks he's slick, doesn't he? "Stop playing games."

"What are you talking about? Is it bad that I just wanted to spend some time with you? Treat you like a decent human being?"

"Right." I roll my eyes. The idea of a guy wanting to get to know me for who I am and not for what I do is strangely amusing. It's so far-fetched that I can't even take it seriously. "I don't like beating around the bush, Roxas. I'm a straightforward person."

His eyes dart around, as if not knowing how to respond. "Okay..."

Yet another sigh escapes me. Maybe he's trying to do this the old fashion way; getting to know a girl, treating her appropriately, so that she can be comfortable enough to get intimate. Unfortunately, I prefer someone who knows what the hell he wants and goes for it. Not to say that I crave that someone be disrespectful, I like a guy whose aggressive with their intentions.

"Look Roxas, you don't have to take it slow with me. Okay? I'm perfectly fine with getting right down to business."

"Business of what?"

"I know you know what I do, Roxas. Everyone does."

Wide-eyed, he rubs the back of his neck. "I figured this would come up eventually."

"Aha! So, you do know, right?"

"Yeah." He almost sounds ashamed. He stuffs his pockets and grazes the floor with his socks. "I wasn't sure if it was just a rumor or not, but I heard you were kinda... easy."

I smirk. "Well, you didn't hear wrong."

He lifts an eyebrow. "And you're proud of that?"

"Is it something to be ashamed of?"

"Uh, well, I'm not sure if it's worthy of bragging rights either."

"Except you don't even know what you're missing out on." I smirk. "Sure, I have a reputation. Doesn't mean it's not a valid one." He turns his head, keeping his hands stuffed in his pockets. I approach him and snake my hands over his chest and shoulders. "I appreciate your chivalry, but I've seen the whole courteous, gentleman act before. Not a big fan." He actually looks a bit intimidated. It's kinda cute. I never once believed he could really be that clueless, but I wonder why he's so hesitant.

He gently grasps my wrists. "We can't do this, Xion."

I frown. "How come?"

"Because you shouldn't have to."

"But I want to. Why do you think I came here in the first place?" I decide to take initiative and mildly grip his groin. "Roxas, I want you."

He quickly removes my hand away from his crotch. "Why?"

I open my mouth, but the words don't come. That's actually a good question. Why do I want him so bad? "I don't know."

He grins. "You know, this is technically sexual harassment."

I cross my arms. "What does it matter, anyway? Why does there have to be some deep, complicated meaning behind it? Why can't we just do it because we want to?"

"Xion, I'm not having sex with you." He stares straight into my eyes. "Look, this has nothing to do with you as a person, or even your looks. Honestly, I think you're gorgeous. But I just don't think this is cool."

I squint, hardly able to believe anything he's saying. There's got to be something else here that I'm not picking up on. There's got to be a more solid defense for his resistance. I decide to test him and shove him against the couch.

"W-Whoa, Xion!" He looks a bit intimidated. It's actually kinda cute. This might be a nice change of pace, maybe I can be the dominate one for once. Holy shit, I wonder if I'm secretly a dominatrix. I straddle him and rest my hands around the base of his neck. "What are you doing? Can't we talk about this for a second?"

"Shut up." Is he seriously still trying to put up a fight?

"I need an adult!"

Before he can continue to annoy me, I press my lips against his, shutting him up for good. It's not long before he stops resisting and eventually kisses back. It's about damn time. I thought we'd never get to this point. I can tell when he fully submits when he places his hands around my waist. I must admit, this is very exciting. He's put this off longer than almost any other guy I've ever been with. This has become solely out of curiosity. I'm interested to see how he'll perform. He'll probably be terrible, but at least I'll get to say I got to bang arguably the cutest guy in AP English.

His strong hands slip underneath my blue tank top. I run my fingers through his unruly hair, gasping for air momentarily before returning to his lips. I try to egg him on with a few sensuous moans and place a hand on his chest.

After a good minute of sucking face, we finally break apart, breathless, locked in a motionless gaze.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" I ask through pants.

"I'm gay."

Whoa, didn't see that coming. And suddenly, it all makes sense. I expected something more along the lines of lewd flattery. But then again, why would he eventually kiss back if he doesn't go that way? Unless I'm so awesome that I just turned him hetero. No way, judging by that twitch of a smirk, he could easily be trying to pull something. "Don't mess with me."

"Okay, fine." He laughs. "That face you made was priceless. I am very much a lover of vagina."

"Could've fooled me."

"Don't take it the wrong way. You're still beautiful."

Me? Beautiful? I think that's the first time anyone has ever paid me such an esteemed compliment. I've never found myself very beautiful. With my short hair, I've always found myself too tomboyish to be deemed worthy of such commendation. Why is it so hot in here? My cheeks are heating up. I touch the sides of my face and can barely believe it.

He snickers. "You look embarrassed." I clench my teeth and take a pretty firm and strong hold of his manhood. It's lowkey just an excuse to get a feel for it. His eyes nearly pop out of his skull. "Gynaghh!"

"Shut up. I'm not embarrassed. Now stop being a goofball. Are we going to do this, or what?"

He frowns once I let go. "Part of that rumor is that you have a price."

"You caught me."

He pulls his wallet out. Now we're talking. I actually wasn't planning on making him pay since his weird method of getting me aroused worked in the most bizarre way imaginable. But hey, if he insists. I'm not gonna say no. "How much?"

"Fifty for a blowjob, one hundred for full-blown sex."

"Really?" he asks. "So, no holds barred? Penetration, oral... anal?"

"Eh, third one isn't really my style, but maybe if you fork over an extra hundred I could give it a try."

"Wow. Part of a complete breakfast, right?"

I bop him on the head. "You would make this so much easier if you'd just keep your big mouth shut. Now, come on. Stop wasting time."

I lean in for another kiss, but he intercepts my efforts with his hand. He shakes his head and teasingly wags his finger. He closes his wallet. "Nah, I'm good."

"Quit joking around. I've waited long enough. We could have done this last night but you were being an idiot. Come on, I have needs too!"

He laughs. "But I'm serious, Xion. I don't want to have sex with you."

He's joking. He has to be.

"I'm not joking, Xi."

There's no way he can be serious about this.

"I am completely serious about this."

What the hell? Is he some kind of mind reader?

"I don't have to read your mind, your face just kinda tells the whole story."

He hikes me off his lap and sets me to his side, laughing at my utter befuddlement. "You're a good kisser, but it didn't really make me want to have sex either."

I bump my fists on my hips. I probably look like a mother scolding her child for a lack of disobedience. I just don't understand. Since when does a (presumably) heterosexual male not go for something like this when I'm laying the opportunity out on a platter. "Why not?"

"Sleeping with me isn't going to make me accept you. It wouldn't be fair of me to take advantage of you."

"But you pulled out your wallet!"

"I'm a troll, remember?"

Oh, fuck you, Roxas. Fuck. You.

Who the hell does he think he is? So, it's wrong to have sex with me, something normal and natural, but it's okay to toy with my emotions and lead me on? I ought to smack some sense into him. The worst part is that he won't stop laughing, even when I cross my arms and refuse to acknowledge him.

He shakes my shoulder, trying to catch my attention. "Xion, come on, why you gotta be so rude? Don't 'cha know I'm human tooooo?"

"Why you gotta be so difficult?" I snap. "Fine, you wanna play this game. I'll give you a discount. Fifty dollars for full blown sex."

"Not interested."

"Oh, come on! Okay, how about twenty? We can even try out some other holes!" Wow, did I really just say that? Dear god, what is wrong with me? I'm pathetic, but you know what? Fuck dignity. I need this. I need to know that he wants me. I know he does! Stop trying to deny it!

"That's okay." He snickers. "I'm finding this thoroughly hilarious, though. So you can keep lowering the price."

I'm two seconds away from strangling him, but I can't help but entertain his notions. It doesn't even matter how frustrating this is, either. Am I under a spell? Am I under some kind of Roxas lust spell? I'm being totally serious.

"Ten dollars."

"Nuh uh."

"What?! No way, that's the lowest I'll go!"

"No deal."

He's forcing my hand. He won't give in! No guy would pass up this offer. Not a single one! It's not like he was particularly lacking judging by the inside of his wallet, he was stacked! I've never been rejected before. Guys jump at the chance when I state my price. What makes him think he's so different? Is he too prideful? Does he think lowly of me? Do I disgust him? Am I too much of a slut for him? Does he find my body repulsive? Is he not an ass man? Is he really gay?

I grab my head. "Fine, we can do it for free! Is that what you want? No charge! Nothing! Nada! Just have sex with me, please, before I lose my shit and rip my hair out!"

He looks a bit discouraged now. "No. I still don't want to have sex. But, please keep your hair. There's this cute charm it gives you."

There are no words. Nothing. If I had a dollar for every time a guy straight up rejected me for a chance to have sex with me, I'd be a broke ass bitch.

He waves his hands over my dead eyes and chortles. He still finds this funny? This is fucking bizarre. "Did you break yet?" he asks.

I shake my head. "I'm sorry, I don't think you heard me. I said I'd let you have sex with me, for free, one hundred percent discount."

"I heard you," he says proudly. "But I'm still not interested."

If he's not interested, then what am I even doing here? Was this all just some sick joke? Is he too prideful or something? Am I not good enough for him? I get it, okay? I'm not worth much. There's not much to me other than my sexuality, so I take advantage of it. But that doesn't mean you have to lead me on with some stupid game, pretending like you care just to embarrass me. Fuck this guy.

"Okay. I'm done." I pick myself up and hurry for the door. I just want to leave and forget that this day ever happened.

Roxas laughs and stops me, standing in my path before I can escape. "Relax. It's just a prank, bro. Don't go just yet."

"I think I've had enough of your torture."

He grins. "It takes courage to put up with someone like me, I know. I'm sorry for putting you through that. It was just a joke, though."

"That wasn't funny!" I shout. "If that's your sense of humor, then you are severely fucked in the head!"

He raises his hands defensively. "Hey, hey, now. Okay, I'm a jerk. I'm sorry. Look, how about I make it up to you?" He pulls out his wallet, unzips it, and counts out three hundred dollar bills before he hands it over to me. My jaw drops. "Here."

No. I'm not falling for it.

"I'm being serious. For real, this time."

"This better not be another one of your stupid tricks!"

I places a hand up. "I solemnly swear."

I still don't buy it. "Give me that." I snatch up the money and raise it to the light above to see if it's real. I wouldn't be surprised if he just found this out of a board game and gave it to me for shits and giggles. It seems like something he'd do.

I'm skewered speechless at the discovery that it is indeed a legitimate three hundred dollars. I turn to him with an utterly flabbergasted disposition. He can't be serious. We were just formally introduced last night, and he's already giving me free money? And he's not even asking for sex? Not even a stupid handjob? Who does that? "What's this for?"

"I figure you might need the money. Go ahead and buy yourself something nice." He smiles.

I shove the money back to his chest. "Roxas, I-I can't just take it—"

"No, please, I insist. There's more where that came from. I still have plenty of money to get gas for the next month and a half, so I'm good. I don't need it." I stare at him in bewilderment. "Yeah. I'm that awesome. But don't worry about it, just think of it as a favor."

"Then at least let me return the favor! Come on, a handjob! A stinking handjob!"

"No dice." He winks. "You're a good person, Xion." He takes my hands.

"But, Roxas, I don't feel comforta—"

"Shh."

"But I—"

"Shh, shh, shut the hell up," he whispers, putting a finger to my lips.

"Ro—"

"Shut your mouth." He smirks. "You're fine."

What have I done to deserve this?

Someone knocks on the door. He hums in mild annoyance and sends me an apologetic look before answering the door. He staggers back in surprise, almost as if he had a heart attack.

"Wh-What are you doing here?"

* * *

Has it been more than two months already? O.O Holy banana peel, yo. Time be flyin'.

In all honesty, this chapter has been about 85% done for about two months, I just haven't had the motivation to finish it, but I finally stopped being lazy and finished it this morning. What did you think? Leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter please! I would sincerely appreciate it and it would make my day!

If you don't like it, that's fine as well! Let me know so I can have an idea of what works for you guys and what doesn't!

Whoa, a lot of guests to respond to!

 **Guest #1:** You're a complete gem for saying my story is a total gem, so thank you for taking the time to leave a review, you gem. Nah, you know what? You're an emerald. People who leave reviews are emeralds.

 **Guest #2:** Applesquad? YOU FIEND! All members of #bananasquad must join forces and pelt you with dirty banana peels for your treachery! Be gone! And thank you for leaving a review, you're awesome ;) the lemons shall come, no worries. But I'm not gonna force em either. When they come, they'll come. And they'll come when it makes sense for the plot. I know y'all mofos is thirsty for dem lemons doe. Go easy on me, because I'm not very good at em.

 **Guest #3:** Daayyuummm y'all really want dem lemons doe! Lmao like I said, they'll come when they come, and I won't force em. I know the story title and summary kinda advertises lemons in a way, but I actually don't want to focus on lemons TOO much because there's an actual lesson to be told with this one, and I don't want all the steamy hawtness to be distracting. But they're coming! And nope, you weren't overthinking things. Roxas knew what she wanted, but he tried to avoid it the whole time :P a lot of people seemed to think he was really clueless, but nahhh.

 **Guest #4:** I don't know.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review on your way out! Oh, and also review. And then there's also that review button down there. Not to mention, you should leave me a review. Did I mention review?

 **#bananasquad**


	7. Awkward

**Chapter 7**

So, here I am. Trapped. With his arrogant, yet hypnotic gaze ogling me over with a smugness tugging on his lower lip, I feel utterly vulnerable to his crooked fashion of charm. Roxas mother-trucking Newman, you relentless, persistent, underhanded, cunning, sneaky, shrewd, evil mastermind of a man—yet courageous, selfless, handsome, and confident. How can one possibly juggle such adjectives and not be _totally_ unlikable? This guy amazes me, truly.

Only he and his unscrupulous charisma could talk me into something like this. As I sit at this dull table in the middle of Katakana House with a sultry aroma piping from a cup of sweet mocha in front of me, right across from the evil mastermind himself and his apparent blue-eyed, blonde Australian ex-girlfriend on a Saturday morning, I ask myself...how? How the hell did he do it? How the hell did he convince me to tag along as the _totally_ subtle third wheel of the group? And how the hell did I _let_ him?

I'll tell you how. It all started about half an hour ago.

 **Approximately or not so approximately thirty minutes to an hour ago…**

Well, this is awkward. Where do I even begin?

God, I swear all blondes can go to hell. Whenever I see their pretty little hair and cutesy cute faces making all the boys swoon with hearts embezzled into their eyes, I just feel sick to my stomach. They wreak havoc on my confidence and I need them to stop. Or maybe my self-esteem has just been sensitive lately.

Considering the fact that I'm getting that kind of feeling from the bubbly blue-eyed blonde sitting about a foot away to my left on Roxas' couch as we speak, let's just say I'm a little bit uneasy at the moment. And should I even mention the uncomfortably emphatic silence that vomits awkwardness with every passing second? No? Okay, cool.

Roxas was surprised that she was at the door. So get this; apparently she was on a cruise with her uncle for two weeks but she ended up learning that she's seasick and came back home early. How convenient that she stops by the very next morning after Roxas let me spend the night. When she saw me, she lost her shit. I mean, anyone would. I don't blame her. It did look pretty bad. But she's his _ex,_ for crying out loud. When she tried to call me out, that's when I had a problem. It could have led to a few bruised eyes if Roxas hadn't stepped in and calmed everyone down.

Now we sit here in silence trying to ease the atmosphere, although if you ask me, it's only oscillating the tension even further.

Look at her—all perfect with her stupid glossy blonde hair that flows down her shoulders and frames her stupid heart-shaped face, her stupid tan skin and her stupid perky breasts. She wears a stupid white and black plaid shirt topped with a stupid pale vest, some stupid denim shorts, and some stupid flats.

So you're probably wondering, who is she? Namina or some kind of dumb shit like that. Sorry, I lack the proper energy to really care right now.

She looks like she wants to be here about as much as I do. She definitely wasn't very thrilled to discover my existence when she first stopped by unannounced. Well, at least the feeling is mutual.

Speaking of people that are stupid, Roxas has been pacing back and forth for the pass five minutes trying to gather his words. I throw him an adamantine glare to assure him that my patience is running out at expeditious amounts of momentum. He sends back a nervous smile.

What am I even still doing here?

I stand up and let out a nonchalant yawn. "Well, as much fun as I'm having sitting here with this truly compelling conversation, I got things to do and people to screw. So, catch you later." Or not.

Roxas staggers back with urgency chiseled into his every feature as I pass him by and ignore the scowl of "Little Miss Perfection".

"W-Wait, Xion!"

Just as I wrap my eager fingers around the doorknob, Roxas gently grasps my arm and gives me that pathetically adorable pout of his that just refuses anyone who dares muster up the audacity to say no to it.

"Xion...please, stay."

His eyes look pleading. I guess he doesn't want to have to explain the situation to the stupid blonde by himself and wants me to help bail him out. I hate being a sap for puppy dog eyes!

I tear my arm away from him and desperately try not to look at that annoying apologetic smile of his as I plop back down in my original spot, my arms crossed and my legs folded.

Roxas lets out a jittery chuckle. "Okay, just figuring out how to word this... Well, uh, now that we're all acquainted—Naminé, this is Xion. She's just a girl in my class and she ended up stumbling into where I work last night and needed a place to crash, so she stayed here. But _nothing_ happened! Xion, this is Naminé—my ex-girlfriend."

"Oh, so I'm your ex now, aye?" the stupid blonde interjects with her stupid Australian accent. She's just so—stupid.

Roxas rubs the back of his head; if this were a cartoon, this would be the part where a sweat drop slides down his scalp. "It's...complicated. We're not really together, but we're not... _not_ together at the same time."

Stupid Blonde taps her foot impatiently. She directs her eyes my way with a far from subtle look of animosity. Now that's just plain rude.

"Manners, do we use them?" I ask with my own accent of impatience. "Common courtesy 101: don't stare."

She raises her arms defensively. "Considering you just, oh I dunno, spent the night with my semi-boyfriend while I was away on vacation, please forgive me if I seem to be raging with suspicion and just a _little_ on edge with you at the moment." She looks back to Roxas. "And I'm just about two point three seconds away from choking the big turkey himself."

Roxas tugs on his collar. "Heh heh, where's the air conditioning when you need it, right girls?"

"But still," she continues, "I trust Roxas because he knows what I'd do to him if I caught him doing stuff behind my back, and it wouldn't be the good stuff."

"Aww…" Roxas groans.

"But I don't see why you just had to spend your night here, of all places. Don't you have a girl friend to confide in or something?"

"It's too bad I don't swing that way."

Her left eye twitches. "Are you implying something?"

"Maybe I was trying to get some out of your 'ex-boyfriend'," I emphasize with makeshift quotations, "or not, but all you need to know is that nothing happened. So let's just leave it at that."

"That doesn't take away the fact that you just admitted that you were trying to get into his pants!" The stupid blonde shoots up to her feet and towers over me with two tightened fists. If she wanted to dance, she could have just said so.

Not backing down, I take my stand as well. "What's your problem? I said we didn't do anything! And even if we did, why do you care? Newsflash, you're not even together!" Roxas better be grateful. I'm doing him a solid and repressing my bulging urge to boast about our pretty emotionally intimate kiss just to spite her.

"Why can't weee be friends?" Roxas pathetically sings.

" **Quiet,** " we eerily synchronize.

"We are together! We're together _unofficially,_ " she emphasizes. "And I don't appreciate having your fingers all over him if he and I are in the process of reconciling our relationship."

"Look, if you don't want to believe Roxas, I don't blame you and I get how you're feeling right now. But if you don't wanna listen to him, then listen to me—we didn't do anything. I swear."

They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and this stupid blonde must be taking that analogy to heart. She stares into my eyes with uncomfortable scrutiny before she at long last exhales. "Fine. But I'm keeping my eye on you."

"Don't waste your time, you probably won't be seeing me around anyway." I turn to Roxas with a scowl. "Can I please go now?"

He rubs the back of his head. "Come on, Xion, you don't need to keep up with the tough girl image. Lighten up a little."

Lighten up a little? Considering that last night I was on the verge of being beaten to a pulp by a phenomenally offensive representation for jocks everywhere in Terra, and then spend the night at another guy's place that I _kinda_ like only to learn that he's semi-taken, to say that I'm just a _little_ steamed would be the most understated adjective of the year.

"Sorry. It's just that, you know, I'm not exactly in the peachiest mood after this monumental waste of my time."

"She's pleasant," Stupid Blonde sarcastically states.

"That's it. I'm outta here." I make a beeline for the door before Roxas steps in my way.

"Oh ho, no you don't. You're not getting away from me that easily." He smirks and folds his arms.

Persistence can be so obnoxious. He's made it clear that our relationship won't break the barriers beyond platonic camaraderie without even the slightest contingency for any sexual undertones, and the stupid blonde here only confirms it. "What do you want from me?"

"I already told you, I don't want anything from you. I just want to get to know you. Why do I have to automatically have some kind of alternative motive?"

"Because you're a guy and you're _not_ gay." At least, I don't think he is.

He pouts. "Somewhat offensive and unfair generalizing aside, you know deep down that isn't true."

"I'm not leaving any time soon, am I?"

Roxas sighs. "What am I going to do with you?" He pauses for a moment before snapping his finger as if a lightbulb just popped over his head. "How about we all three go grab some early morning breakfast?"

Oh, awkward silence—what would I do without you?

"You jokin', love?" says Stupid Blonde.

"Not at all!" Roxas assures, and I contemplate whether or not certifying him as insane is a viable endeavor. "I'm sure we're all just a little stressed out, but there's nothing like a big breakfast that won't lift our spirits. Come on, my treat!"

"I'm not even that hungry." But of course, my stomach yearns loudly with a contorting grumble in protest to that claim just to spite me. It's the cruelest form of irony. Seriously, are we even trying to be original here?

A knowing smirk plays on Roxas' lip. "That's it. You're coming with us, missy." He lifts me up by the legs and drapes me over his shoulder as if I'm a board of wood. Oh, this is so not cool!

The stupid Aussie blonde bitch doesn't look too happy about this either, but she won't pipe up and object. She just looks indifferent. This is kidnap, damn it!

"Let me go! I don't want any of your stupid breakfast!" I lightly pound my fists into his back—an insignificant effort. "I can get something to eat myself!"

"Aww, don't be a baby," Roxas teases. "Well then, shall we go, girls? On forth, madams! The conquest of food, we shall conquer!"

 **Back to the present or whatever…**

And that, lads and lassies, is why I currently sit at this dull table in the middle of Katakana House with a piping hot cup of sweet mocha in front of me across the evil mastermind himself and his apparent blue-eyed, blonde ex-girlfriend on a Saturday morning taking the most bitter sips of coffee I've ever had in my life.

Roxas smirks at me relentlessly. He and I both know I could easily leave at any moment I wanted to and catch a trip on the tram with the money he gave me earlier, but I'm not going anywhere. Roxas knows this and he's brutally teasing me about it without even saying a single word. Now, whether it's because of the sweet stain of expresso on my lips or if it's just because I don't want to leave Roxas alone with his Aussie ex-lover for even a split second, I don't know. But I'm gonna go with the former, just so you know.

And again, the awkward silence continues. Stupid Blonde over there looks equally frustrated and uncomfortable. Roxas seems to be getting a kick out of this, though. I'm glad he enjoys our pain.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Roxas says, finally breaking our conversation-less morning. "Just the three of us, sipping on some coffee, enjoying the finer things in life."

"Go to hell, Roxy," Stupid Blonde retorts. Finally, something we can agree on. But of course, Roxas only laughs. Laughing seems to be part of his DNA.

"I can't help it. You two are both just so cute."

Oh, please. I look so much better than her. Her boobs are bigger than mine...and I'm not jealous about that! You wanna know why? Because she don't got that junk in the trunk like yours truly. And we all know that modern society is all about dat ass, right? Everything I eat seems to go down there. It's my ideal fat distribution.

But Roxas seems to really like her. Hell, apparently they've already dated before and Roxas barely wanted to touch me as if I had some kind of exotic specimen of a toxic infection. What if he's more of a boob guy? Damn it, how do I compete over a guy who prefers boobs over booty? And why am I thinking about competing over—

"Order number, thirteen!"

"There's the food!" Roxas chants excitedly. "Like I said, it's my treat, so I'll go pay for it. You two play nice! Please try not to bite each other's heads off by the time I get back."

"I make no promises," I state honestly.

He chuckles to himself before leaving for the counter up ahead to pay for our order. A staunch but unspoken air of malice permeates all over at his exit. He does this kind of stuff on purpose.

I know how this would be settled in the animal world. In order to quench my thirst for blood, I'd leap over the table and bash her head into the ground, choking her with one hand as I use the other with my sharp fingernails to claw the skin right off her cheeks.

But this is girl world and that shit doesn't fly around here. Oh, but the animal world is a beautiful place. And as satisfying as that would be, I don't think Roxas would take too kindly to that.

"Aye," she pipes up. I look over and to my surprise, she smiles without a hint of the animosity that's currently boiling in my blotchy black heart at the moment. "No hard feelings, alright?"

Is this some kind of trap?

"Don't worry. It ain't a trap, love."

Okay, can _everybody_ read my mind today?

"Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot earlier. Sorry for bein' rather cold towards ya. I'm just very protective of my little Roxy. Whenever I see him with another girl, I get a little frisky if you couldn't already tell."

"A little frisky? Sounds like a sugarcoated way of saying you get jealous to me."

"Maybe just a wee bit, yeah?" She giggles. "How would you feel if the guy you've been with for the past two whole years is suddenly hanging around other girls?"

I can't tell if she's gloating or not. "I guess you're right."

"Let's just start all over, shall we?" She extends her hand. "'Allo, my name is Naminé Cole. It's a pleasure to meet you."

One thing every girl must learn in their adolescence is that other girls are not to be trusted so easily. I referenced Mean Girls earlier for a reason, people. Let's face it, as a gender, we are the queens of deception. But I'll humor her this one time and shake her hand. But I've got my eye on her.

"Xion Spades," I answer. "Just don't feed me to your pet kangaroo, and we'll be okay."

She laughs. "Well, I suppose you aren't too bad yourself. Although, I am curious as to how you know Roxy."

"It's nothing special. It's like he said, we just kinda bumped into each other."

"I see. He's quite the character, isn't he?"

I look over to spot him at the counter laughing away with one of the employees as if they'd been good friends for an eternity. I don't know how he does it, or why he's so perfect, but it's getting on my nerves...in the good way.

"He sure is," I say as Roxas bounces back to our table with our order.

"Sorry for the wait, guys. Breakfast is served."

"Well, it's about time! I'm starved!" Naminé claps.

You know, with food, sometimes we get high expectations and then end up disappointed by the end result. But thankfully, this is not one of those times. The mere sight of food pleases my growling belly.

I got some deliciously cheesy scrambled eggs and two long crispy strips of bacon with a big pancake as the main course—and it looks absolutely delicious.

Oh my god, I'm getting wet just looking at it...

Sorry. TMI. But this is what happens when you haven't eaten for more than fourteen to fifteen hours.

"Not that hungry, eh Xion?" Roxas teases. "You practically drooling says otherwise."

If I gave enough of a shit to care about anything he's saying right now, I'd probably muster up some tenacity to trade banter with him. But the fact of the matter is, he's right. I'm a sad, sad, hungry woman in dire need of some food.

I scoop up my fork and dig into my eggs first and foremost, and as soon as it hits my tongue I—

Mmmmmmmmm!

No, seriously, my body just had a minor orgasm. I think I can die in peace now. Oh, food...I forgot how much I love you. The divine pleasure of tasting something after hours of nothing to satisfy my tummy's qualms for nourishment is quite the euphoric experience.

When I open my eyes, Roxas and Naminé look at me cheeky grins. "I take it that you're enjoying that, aye?" Naminé asks as she uses a fork and a knife to cut up her waffle into neat squares.

"No, I actually hate it," I retort sarcastically. When I look up, however, a spurt of shock hits me like a seismic wave.

That's not him. No, it couldn't be. That'd just be too coincidental. Too stupid. That can't be him. It's not him! Is it? No.

He waits in line with his hands stuffed in his pockets, headphones over his spiky orange hair covering only one of his ears. His front view is slightly turned, though. I can't really see his face. No, it's not him. He might look a little similar but it's totally not him. It might just be someone with an uncanny resemblance to him and the fact that he's also wearing headphones like the way he used to all the time is just a freak coincidence.

And then he turns around slightly and our eyes meet.

Oh my god. It's totally him. And I think my appetite is gone.

"Oh, goodness! I totally forgot! I'm supposed to be meeting up with Kairi at the Market Place right now!" I lie. "I should totally go and meet up with her now before she gets worried."

I shoot up from my seat, ready to hightail it out of here before, as expected, Roxas has something to say about it. "Wait, so you're just leaving like that? You've barely touched your food!"

"Turns out I wasn't as hungry as I thought." I'm such a bad liar...the eggs, they call my name...but I can't do it. Not with _him_ here. And oh my god, is he coming this way?

"Well, wait, is it okay if I tag along with you?" Naminé asks. "I'd really like it if we could get to know each other better."

Why does everyone want to "get to know me" all of a sudden? This better not become a thing. "Sorry, I gotta go—like right now. Guys, it's been fun in an extremely awkward and uncomfortably confusing kind of way, but I better hurry before Kairi blows up my phone with voicemails. See ya!"

I speed walk towards the door before they can question me any further. I think they said my name a few times, but if they did, it's muffled. The mission is simple: get the hell out of here before he spots you.

Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. _Go._ **Go.**

As soon as I turn back to look at the door, however, a waitress holding someone's order is already—WHOAAAH!

Aww, fuck...what just happened? Why is everything so blurry? Something feels sticky...

"Oh my goodness, I'm so, so sorry! I was so not looking where I was going! I'm so sorry!" Once the world stops spinning, the waitress scrambles to my side with some napkins. She wipes off a gooey, red substance that's splashed all over my black tank top and leather jacket. Don't worry, it isn't blood.

The worried and sympathetic eyes of everybody in the shop are all targeted at me now. Just great, because I so wanted more attention on me. Well, that's what I get for being a klutz. And thus, why I could never be a waitress ever again.

"Xion!" Roxas yells as he and Naminé race to me as I stagger to my knees.

"Are you alright, Xion?" Naminé asks.

"I'll live." My brain feels like it's pulsating out of my forehead. Fuck me...

A hand extends itself to help me up. I assume it's Roxas and he helps me up to my feet.

But of course, it's not Roxas.

It's him and all his spiky orange-haired glory.

"You okay?" he asks in his deep voice.

When was the last time I heard his voice? About three months? It's nostalgia in its most bittersweet flavor. That's all that comes to mind when I think of him: bittersweet. Bittersweet memories swimming along a bittersweet timeline...

His eyes haven't changed. That isn't surprising. They never change; two blue eyes that possess such a bored, indifferent gaze. He hasn't changed a bit.

I'd like to blame the unwanted stimulation of my heartbeat to trauma from my fall or some sort of deranged psychiatric medical condition, but I know the truth. It's because he was my first.

He was my first true boyfriend.

He was the guy who made me feel like I was important.

He was the guy who took my virginity.

And yet, he was the guy who broke my heart.

Neku Sakaraba—you son of a bitch.

* * *

So it's been about a two months since I've updated and about four months since I've updated this particular story.

I know, I'm terrible T.T are there any Banana soldiers still left in the army?

Honestly, just haven't had much time to really be thinking about writing lately. But I've been so desperately wanting to update SOMETHING just do you guys don't think I died or something (which I refuse to die until KH3 comes out!)

So sorry for the long wait! I sure do hope this chapter made up for the long absence and I hope you guys are at least still interested in this story! I know that long waits between updates can kind of botch initial interest (plus I'm updating this on a Wednesday like an idiot)!

Also, I apologize to any Australians if I offended you with Namine's accent, I hope I'm portraying the accent correctly! I looked up a bunch of Australian slang and everything lol but I won't hammer it in that she's Aussie either. If you have any tips for better accuracy, please feel free to let me know!

Please leave me a review! Honestly, during the process of writing this chapter, reading you guys' reviews was a huge motivator to get me to keep writing! You guys are so awesome for that and I appreciate it so much!

Guest Responses: (I wonder if some of these guests are the same person...)

 **Guest #1:** Terra might get his ass kicked. Who knows? All I can say is that he will be returning ;) although that's not really something to celebrate lol

 **Guest New guy:** Don't worry! There's still a lot left to go! Thanks so much for leaving a review!

 **Playerbot:** Thank you!

 **Guest #2:** Oh of course, lust and love are two separate things, although sometimes, like with love and hate, they can be quite similar as well. Ahem, anyway! Thanks for the review!

 **Dessi:** I like Roxas too XD he hasn't even BEGUN trolling yet tho haha. Thanks for leaving the review!

 **Guest #3:** Actually, it's not really the first time a guy treated her kindly, but it's the first time in a while I'd say. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #4:** Hehe yeah, I think I might have gotten rid of that joke about Ven videotaping Roxas and Xion last chapter just because I didn't want him to come across as too weird, even though it wasn't really a serious thing. Oh well. Anyways, thanks for your review!

 **SoraLover1994:** I think I might have PM'd you thanking you for the review, but if not, thanks for the review! Technically you can say that about any character in fanfic that is slightly OOC lol I see Roxas if he were in a normal world as more of just a regular sort of wimpy guy lol.

 **Guest #5:** I... I do too ;_;

Much love and thanks so so much to **Hollowfiedhuman95, The Fool's Arcana, Guest #1, Guest #2, Guest #3, Guest #4, and Guest #5, (all these dang guests!) Guest New guy, Playerbot, JustAFanfictionReader, Dessi, tallicaJr, snow. x. fairy, tsukuneXmoka, Sinful Serenata, Sora23ish, R. A. Hillis, and SoraLover1994** for all of the reviews on chapter 6!

Disclaimer: Oh btw I do not think all blondes should go to hell

 **#bananasquad**


	8. Compassion

**Chapter 8**

I'm not embarrassed.

I'm not embarrassed.

I'm not embarrassed.

I'm not embarrassed.

I'm not embarrassed.

I'm not embarrassed.

I'm not embarrassed.

I'm not embarrassed.

"Um... Xion," Roxas says. "There's a meat patty on your butt."

...So here I stand, dreadfully embarrassed. Your favorite not so legal prostitute is still stuck in the middle of Katakana House getting herself cleaned up from a sticky décor of ketchup and grease by a few employees. On top of that, Roxas so subtlety decides to point out a patty glued to my derriere. Just add injury to a bullet wound, why don't you?

"I'll, uh, get that for ya," Naminé says with an edgy chuckle. It seems like my life is cursed to be a series of awkward moments in one big scrapbook of uncomfortable. To make matters worse, Roxas points my way and laughs. Naminé bumps him on the shoulder and he stifles his chuckles by placing both hands over his fat mouth, but he's still clearly amused. It's a shame that I'd be sent to prison for the rest of my life if I murdered him and left his cold, lifeless carcass buried in a ditch in the middle of an open field.

Meh. It'd probably be worth it.

Neku wipes the last smidge of ketchup off my cheek. I still feel sticky as hell, though. "Good as new." He puts on a smile, one of which I assume is fabricated.

"I'm old enough to clean myself off."

"But that wouldn't have been nearly as hilarious," Roxas teases. Goodness gracious, does he _want_ to get stabbed today? He rubs the back of his head. "Too soon?"

"I should've known not to listen to you." I point at Roxas with a sharp finger. "And I never should have come here!"

"Whoa, whoa, what's the big deal?" Roxas raises his hands defensively. "Who is this guy, anyway?"

"Nobody worth mentioning." Neku groans under his breath and avoids eye contact. "Alright, that's it. I think I've had quite enough disaster for one day." I glare at my ex-boyfriend. "And the very last thing I need is to be reminded of my mistakes."

Neku averts his eyes. That had better be guilt spreading throughout his face. He'd better feel ashamed for what he did to me. In hindsight, I probably would have become a sex worker if it weren't for him in the first place.

Roxas rubs the back of his neck. "Look, Xion, I'm sorry. I didn't know—"

I cut him off, gesturing with my hand. "Save it. It's fine. I'm outta here."

As I make a turn for the doorway, someone grabs my arm. I figured it might be Roxas, but to my surprise, it's Neku. Still, he refuses to look me in the eye with what seems to be a grimace of remorse stained all over his expression.

"Xion, I..." he begins.

I tear my arm away and sever him with the most bloodthirsty eyes that I can muster. "What the hell do you want?"

"It's just... I never really got the chance to apologize for what happened before. For what I did. It was stupid. And I've made some mistakes before and usually I just brush it off and move on, but... I've never been able to forgive myself."

"That makes two of us that are not able to forgive you."

Neku stuffs his hands into his pocket. "Look, I don't really expect you to forgive me. Hell, I probably wouldn't forgive me if I were you right now, but... I just wanted to let you know that I'm really, really sorry."

Oh, he's sorry? Gee, that makes everything all better now!

Unfortunately, his apology doesn't rid me of the heartbreak and the scar he's left in his wake. In the end, despite the pain, I'm able to muster a smile, followed by a humorless chuckle.

"You're sorry?" I ask, nodding. "That's nice."

And as soon as the ends of his lips just barely twitch into a hint of a smile, I yank my hand back and give him the sharpest, most deafening, ear-piercing slap to his pathetic face, so hard that I leave a red imprint on his cheek. Even my palm stings, but I couldn't care less.

With a pained expression, he holds a hand to his cheek. The entire room falls silent, as every spectator gasps with their eyes attached to the scene intently, including Roxas and Naminé.

No words. At this point, they're unnecessary. No superficial apology could ever remedy the wounds he's left on my emotional health in his path of impetuousness and destruction. I think my gesture of aggression and the glare of death itself speaks just fine on its own.

I'm certain that my mark has been felt by just about everybody in the building. I head for the door and bust out of Katakana House. I don't think I want to ever see this place again.

"Xion! Wait a second!"

Before I can get too far, a certain somebody just had to follow me out. Damn it, when are people going to learn to just leave me alone? It's like a common trend—I can't leave somewhere without some asshole running after me like I'm desperate for their attention.

Roxas catches up to me with a look of concern. "Xion, are you okay?"

Do I look okay? I'm sick of all the stupid questions, too. "Roxas, I'm done." He shakes his head, confused, gesturing me to elaborate. "I'm just—done, okay? I'm sick of this. I'm tired of all you assholes just popping up out of nowhere trying to act like you're gonna help save poor, pathetic little Xion from destroying her future. I don't need your fucking pity."

"Pity?" He scoffs. "Nobody is pitying you, I just—I just don't want you going back out there all alone and end up doing something that you'll regret in a few years time. I want to help you."

"Help me from what?!" I blare. "God, why is everybody treating me like I'm some sort of anomaly? Like I'm some sort of poor, poverty-stricken soul in need of a fucking mentor to help put me back on the righteous path of moral ethics? I'm fine, okay? Stop following me. Stop trying to tell me how to live my life."

He frowns. "Hey, chill out, alright? I know you're a little upset about that guy, but you don't have to take it out on me. I haven't done anything to you and all I've been trying to do is be a good friend—"

"A friend?" I chuckle, rolling my eyes. "Dude, we met last night. I barely consider you an acquaintance. How we met, it was total a freak accident, okay? Stop trying to make it any more than that."

I make a turn for the street, but Roxas snatches me by the wrist and pulls me back towards him. "Hey! Will you listen to me a second?"

"Who do you think you are? Don't touch me!"

"You need to get a grip! Nobody is pitying you, and nobody is trying to tell you how to live your life. Do I agree with your choices? No. Do I think you could do something better with yourself? Absolutely. That's all that I've been trying to tell you. You're better than this. You sell your body off to a bunch of random jerk asses who are only interested in you for your body, and you do it so haphazardly—like it's no big deal. It is a big deal, and it's not you. It's you just trying to bury some insecurities and I'm trying to get through to you that it's all in your head. You don't _have_ to do this."

"Oh, please, douse me more with your unambiguously aspiring wisdom that I totally haven't heard a million times before, Grand Master Roxas. You obviously know what's best for me, right? Since you're just an all-knowing connoisseur in the art of ontology!"

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "You know what? Maybe I do know what's best for you better than you do."

I squint. "You don't know me. Stop pretending like you know me! You can keep your sympathy! You all make me sick, treating me like I'm some damsel in distress who craves your compassion. This is my choice. If I want to use my body to make money when things are getting fucking _desperate_ back home, then I can do that as I so please! You got that? Did that sink into your dense, thickheaded skull? You're not my father, Roxas! This body is nobody's property except mine, and what I do with it is my choice, and I have the freedom to make that choice. No matter what you say, you don't, and will _never_ have control over that."

We exchange a dark glare for many breaths of silence. Roxas huffs out of his nostrils until he finally turns around. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you are just like everybody else, so focused on what _you_ want to do instead stopping for a second and thinking about what's the _right_ thing to do. Just because you have the freedom to make a choice, that doesn't make that choice right." He waves me off. "I guess you've made your choice. Go ahead and do as you like."

Who the hell does he think he is? "I can take care of myself, thank you very much. I'll be perfectly fine without any of you."

"You sure about that?"

"Oh, most definitely. Do me a favor, and don't pop back up in my life ever again, okay? Save me the headache."

He chuckles, albeit rather drearily. "You're not the one who should be complaining about any headache." He makes his way back over to Naminé, who watches from the front door of Katakana House with a look of concern.

Good riddance. I'm really sick of people acting like they're going to "save" me from some kind of self-inflicted damnation. Does he take me for some kind of fool? I know the risks that come with what I do, but I can handle my own weight. I don't need him yelling it into my ear. I have Kairi for that, and she's way more than enough. I can tolerate her because she's been there for me ever since we were thirteen years old; this guy randomly pops up into my life just yesterday and now all of a sudden he thinks he has the right to give me life advice?

What am I even doing here? I set off into town and make my way over towards the train station.

I know where I belong.

 ** _S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S_**

I jam the back of my head into the window behind me and let out a painful, but brief shriek of frustration. The few passengers on this nearly barren train look over to me with fluxing expressions of fright, shock, and irritation.

To put it mildly, I'm not very happy right now.

I'm wrought with guilt and suffering from an endless scolding from my stupid moral conscience, constantly asking myself if I was even in the right back there. Just seeing Neku's face again brought back so many unwanted memories that it set my temper off without warning and I took it out on Roxas.

I'm not concerned about that asshole, Neku. He deserved it, and I do hope he receives many more slaps in the face for days to come. But Roxas—he didn't deserve that.

Not sure what got into me. Didn't mean to snap at him like that. During the whole walk to the station, I internally complained about what a jerk Roxas was and how annoying he's become in such a short amount of time. And yes, he is very annoying—his troll tendencies and his constant hounding over me with his antiquated sense of morality isn't exactly ideal, in my case.

But once I got to the station, went into my pocket, and realized that I actually had enough money to not only pay for a trip to Twilight Hospital, but also to lay down some cash for this month's rent, and what's more, the fact that it was _Roxas_ who gave me the money to do this—I was overcome with guilt.

Sure, maybe he and I don't exactly see eye to eye on certain things, and I still don't think he should have the audacity to try to tell me what's best for me when we haven't even been introduced for a solid twenty-four hours, but he was only trying to help at the end of the day. And what do I do? I yell at him and tell him to fuck off. Aren't I a class act?

Oh, and to make matters worse, I'm hungrier than Winnie the Pooh on honey withdrawals. I should've taken those eggs with me when I left Katakana House. Oh, just one smackaral or two would taste so good right now.

With a sigh, I look out the window as the train pulls up to my stop. I guess I can kiss Roxas and whatever could've formed out of that potential friendship, or maybe even something more, that could've bloomed at some point in the future goodbye. I suppose it's not so bad. Roxas doesn't need to be sucked into my problems.

I step out of the train and make a quick escape to the outside, where Twilight Hospital waits for me right across the street.

Goodness, I hate this place. As soon as I step inside, it reeks of an antiseptic odor. A dull, plain paleness dominates the decor of every room. It's bad enough that this is a place where the fatally ill and wounded come for treatment, I don't see why every hospital has to _look_ depressing on top of that.

I approach the lady at the front desk, separated by a glass window. She smiles as she munches on chewing gum. "Hi, Xion! It's nice to see you again."

"You too, Mrs. Shimomura." It's kinda bad that I'm such a regular at the hospital these days that even the front secretaries recognize me at first glance. Although, Mrs. Shimomura is awesome, so I don't mind. Turns out she has a history in music, and every now and then, she gives me some tips for whenever I find a chance to start on my own music.

"How's it been, lately? You guys holding up back home?"

I write my signature onto the sign-in sheet. "Well, we're still alive. So, that's a thing."

"How's the mystery job? I spoke to your father yesterday and he's still amazed at how you're able to hold the fort down, but he's concerned about exactly how you're able to do that."

"I guess it'll just be the greatest mystery that'll never be solved."

"Xion." She places a gentle hand on my wrist. "He's worried about you."

And people wonder why I get frustrated. I feel like I'm some walking pity party.

"Trust me, Yoko, I know what I'm doing."

She gives me an unsure look, but then sighs and smiles. "I hope so." She quickly jots something down on a scrap of paper. "She's been transferred to a new room."

After waving Mrs. Shimomura goodbye, I head into the elevator and push the button for the third floor. Once I reach my stop, I search the hallways for the designated room. The work environment is hectic; doctors and nurses run rampart, bustling through aisles, exchanging files, and moving equipment and patients to their rooms.

Lo and behold, I spot a familiar-looking spiky haired brunet walking my way, though he isn't paying me any attention. He holds the hand of some little boy with short blond hair reaching his shoulders and a cap with a skull on it. He wears an oversized orange sweater with another black skull, beige shorts, and black and yellow sneakers.

Sora looks up and grimaces slightly upon seeing my face, as if my presence just tampered with his good mood. I return the favor.

"You..." he says with a suspicious squint.

I roll my eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing here? I came to see Mom."

"How come?"

"Uh, because she's my mom," he says with a tone that communicates how obvious it is.

"Sorry, it's just that even after seventeen years of putting up with you, I still refuse to believe that we're actually related."

He sighs mockingly. "I guess I ought to break the news to you here—it's time you knew about the day when you were adopted."

I punch him on the shoulder before looking down at the little boy, who cowers behind Sora's leg and watches me with curious, timid eyes.

"And who's this little guy?" I say, crouching down to level with him. I smile, trying to ensure him that there's nothing to fear.

"Raimu Bito—but we like to call _her_ Rhyme as a nickname."

Whoops.

Sora smirks at me. What? With the way she's dressed, I figured she was a boy! That doesn't make her any less adorable, but now I feel bad.

"Oh my god, I-I'm so sorry," I stutter, followed by a nervous chuckle. "Didn't mean to mistake you for a boy!"

She casts her eyes to the side. "It's okay... I get that a lot."

Oh my god, I think my heart is breaking into a million pieces. "Aww, don't be shy. I'm not gonna hurt you. Rhyme, is it?" She nods, burying her mouth into her large sleeves. Seriously, her parents need to pay better attention to her size. "I'm Xion! It's nice to meet you!"

"Y-You too..."

I extend my arms and gesture her over. "Don't be scared. It's okay. I'm a nice old lady!"

"Old lady?" Sora asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm old to her and so are you, grandpa."

Sora grins as he folds his hands behind his head.

Rhyme tiptoes from behind Sora and inches over to me hesitantly. She darts her eyes at me every once in a while, but she tries to look away, for the most part.

"What's with the long face?" I ask, making a pout.

"Her father isn't exactly healthy," Sora informs. "I don't want to go into details, but she and her big brother have been visiting him a lot lately. She used to always look bored in the waiting room, so I started keeping her company whenever she came. She's my little buddy now." He crouches down along with me and ruffles her cap. "Isn't that right?"

She smiles, though it looks like she's holding back since I'm here.

"Well, aren't you Captain Charitable?" I tease.

"Hey, I only like messing with you and Shiki. It is my life's purpose to make you guys miserable. I intend on treating everybody else in the world like human beings."

I roll my eyes and smile at Rhyme, taking both of her hands into mine. "Well, I may not know much about what's going on, but it'll all be okay. Your daddy's going to be just fine. So smile, and try to be happy! I'm sure that's what your dad would want."

She warms up a little and gives me a small smile. "O-Okay."

"How old are you?"

She holds up six fingers. "This many..."

"Ooh, you're getting up there, huh? Well, you wanna know what else they call me other than Xion?"

She shakes her head, with an adorable look of curiosity.

"They also call me... the Terrifying Tickler!" I ram my fingers across her tummy and she breaks out of her gloom and doom façade, belting up a storm as her laughter fills the air. "Oh, and I've got a _really_ ticklish one here, don't I?"

After a couple more seconds, I let her go. She smirks and punches me on the shoulder. "Don't do that!" she says through laughs.

I gesture my fingers. "No one can escape the Terrifying Tickler! She's a madwoman!"

Rhyme giggles as she runs behind Sora again, but this time, playfully, rather than fearfully.

Sora and I rise to our feet, as he rubs Rhyme's back. Sora shakes his head. "Maybe once you get your head out of your own butt, you'll be a great mother someday."

I place my hands on my hips. "Well, I have to say that I'm impressed that you'd go out of your way for the little one, so maybe once you learn how to stop being an incessant prick, you'd make a great father too."

I guess I forgot to mention that I absolutely _adore_ children, but there was no reason to bring it up before. Maybe that's a little surprising coming from a trashy teenage hooker with a bluntly vulgar sense of humor, huh? But I can't help it. I can admit to my stubborn ways, but a child's laughter can break down my antisocial force field in the matter of moments.

Now you know I have a soft side for children. I feel like a sap.

"Rhyme!" a masculine voice calls from behind. I turn around to spot a guy with a similar skull cap as Rhyme. He wears a muscle shirt with a chain wrapped around his neck, beige shorts that reach his ankles, and red shoes. "It's time to bounce."

"Coming!" Rhyme says as she shuffles towards him, but not after giving Sora a quick hug. The guy waves at Sora.

"Thanks for looking after her, man! That's another one I owe you."

"No worries!" Sora waves. He taps me on the shoulder. "That's Daisukenojo Bito, but we just call him Beat," Sora informs me as the two hold hands on their way out.

Rhyme looks back at me and waves, albeit still a bit bashfully. I guess she's still warming up to me a bit, but that's okay. I wave back before leaning my cheek against my palm. "She's cute."

"Yeah, she acted the same way around me when I first started talking to her, but she's actually really fun once she gets to know you." He gestures me to follow him. "Come on, I'll take you to Mom's new room. It's right down the hall."

"Speaking of kids, you better start thinking about whether or not you want to raise a family sometime in the future. Since you're a 'grown-up' and all, now."

Sora scoffs. "I just turned nineteen. Don't worry, I definitely plan on having a family at some point. Believe me, I can't wait to be free from you and Shiki, find my own place—it's gonna be paradise."

"Yeah, yeah." I roll my eyes. "But most importantly, you won't be in the house anymore and I won't ever be subjected to seeing that horrific abomination you call a face."

"Come on, you know you're gonna miss me," he teases, ruffling my hair.

"Oh yeah, I'm so going to miss all the pranks, you snitching on me every chance you get, and the headaches that come with being your sister, Sora. Thanks for all of the _wonderful_ memories."

"It was my pleasure."

"Anyway, you should be thinking about the type of girl you might want to settle down with in the future. What's your type? Assuming you have one..."

He shrugs. "I'm not picky. Just someone who's kind, fun to be around, doesn't make me want to pull my hair out 24/7, and treats me right. You know, the exact opposite of you."

"Glad we're on the same page, then. Not that you'd even be _in_ my league if we weren't related, but you know, I think Kairi might be a good fit for you."

"Kairi?" He noticeably stiffens. "What about Kairi? Has she mentioned me?" He then coughs. "I mean, uh... yeah, she's _kinda_ cute or whatever. But I have to question the sanity of anyone who would willingly be associated with you."

"I'm trying to help you out here. You're such an idiot that you haven't even noticed her giving you the googly eyes every time she comes over."

"She has?" he asks with genuine surprise. He rubs his chin in contemplation.

I shake my head. "Trust me, you two were made for each other. You're both clueless goofballs."

He frowns, but decides to ignore it as we approach Room C-112. "Here we are." He knocks on the door.

"Who is it?" a voice sings from the other side.

"Mom, it's Sora. I'm here with the devil, she's come to pay you a visit."

I thud him in the back of his head. He touches the spot briefly, giving me a scowl.

"Come in!" I smile, just hearing that upbeat voice makes me feel at ease. We enter the room and I examine the new area.

Exhausted efflorescent designs run across the walls and checkerboard tiles spread throughout the floor—in the middle of it is a hospital bed, where Mom lays in a white gown with short raven hair that's nearly identical to my own, and hazel eyes. She still wears that white headband of hers, even when she's stuck in the hospital.

She smiles at me, still just as beautiful as ever, and a sudden warmth fills my abdomen.

"Twin!" Mom greets.

An involuntary giggle escapes me as I give her a hug. "Hey, Twin."

As soon as I pull back, however, I'm hit on the head with a rolled up newspaper. "Where on earth have you been, young lady?! It's been a good two weeks since I last saw you. There had better be a good reason!"

"Sorry. Just been a little busy."

"Too busy to see your dear old mother in the hospital?!"

Too busy sucking dick. "You'd be surprised."

"Well, it's good to hear that my good-for-nothing little slacker is finally doing something productive rather than waste her time in her bedroom all day!"

"Yeah, I was surprised too, Mom," Sora says. "Xion can _actually_ be useful."

I stick my tongue out at him.

"Vincent says you and Sora have really helped keep a roof over our heads, but says he's worried about you. What's that about?"

"Uh, no idea," I answer. "Maybe because I've been out of the house and staying after school a lot lately. But I've been able to put money on the table."

"Oh, that's nice!" Mom says with a twinkle in her eye. "So, where ya working?"

"Uhh..."

Sora crosses his arms with an expecting stare, and the pressure is dialing up to eleven. What do I say? 'Oh yeah, I've just been fucking everything and everyone with a penis in return for fifty to hundred bucks. Nothing major.'

"Oh, uh, Kairi got me a job at the ramen restaurant where she works."

"Oh, you mean Shoyu Shoyu?" Sora asks. "The one in Tram Common?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Mom asks. "That's great news!"

I sigh. "I didn't want any distractions, I guess. And you guys always make a fuss about everything, so I just kept it a secret."

"Well, just for that, and for not coming to visit me for two weeks, as soon as I get out of this hospital, I'm gonna march into Shoyu Shoyu and force you to fix me up three orders of ramen, just to annoy you!" She giggles. "But seriously, it'll help out the business!"

"Great!" Great... now what do I do? Should I reconsider Kairi's offer from before? The only issue is how well I'd perform at a job like that.

"I'm glad that you have a job," Mom continues. "Especially after what happened with your brother."

I raise an eyebrow. "Uh... what happened?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"Nope!" I give Sora a playful smirk, using eye communication that translates to 'what'd you do? Tell me, now! And you totally have to because Mom's right here.'

He rubs the back of his head, with eyes that say 'fuck you.' "I kinda... lost my job at Moogle Town today. I ended up accidentally not following procedure, so the boss had to let me go, even though he didn't really want to. Rules are rules."

Oh. That's not good. That means we're even going to be even shorter on money. With Dad out of work, Sora fired, and Shiki doing... whatever, wouldn't that mean it's kind of on me now? If that's the case, I'm going to have to put in a little extra work, find some more clients, maybe bump the price up a little bit. My family is depending on me now—I can't let them down. I guess my personal studio will just have to wait.

"Looks like you'll have to hold down the fort for us a little while until I can get another job," Sora says. "Think you can handle it?"

"Guess... I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

Mom places a hand on my arm. "I'm sorry that we're putting so much on your shoulders, sweetheart, but don't fret! I'll be out of here soon. I'm in the recovery process, remember? I kicked that cancer right in the ass! I'll be in here for another month for a few chemotherapy treatments, then I'll be free as a bird!"

"Yeah, you look really good for someone that just survived cancer. Like, _really_ good."

"Because I'm awesome! Duh!"

It's always nice to see her. Takes me back to simpler times, when selling my body wasn't an issue. And now I'm gonna have to work twice the effort to make up for all the lost revenue.

It's all on me now. Yeah, that's cool, just put more pressure on me. I'm actually ashamed to look at my mother's smile, when she doesn't even know how I'm able to put money on the table.

My phone vibrates. I got a text.

What the hell? It's from an unknown number.

 **Hey, this is Xion right? If it is this is Demyx from school, was wondering if you wanted to do business**

Well, what do you know.

* * *

Yo, my bananas. Sorry it took me so long to get back to this one, I've had the first part of this written for a while now, but I just kept procrastinating and plus life stuff got in the way. But here it is! I know the last chapter was a bit shorter, hopefully this makes up for it.

So yeah, this isn't the usual Sex Sells chapter with Xion cracking a bunch of jokes, but I hope it was still entertaining. I wanted to show more of her character with this one, and show that beneath all that sarcasm is actually a big softy for kids and those that are in need. I plan to delve more into that later on. I'm actually really excited for this story again

Now to respond to some guest reviews!

 **Sora23ish:** Hey girl! Lol assuming that they even WILL fuck, especially after this chapter! Who knows? x.x

 **Guest #1:** Ohh that's a good point! Ventus probably IS the reason why Namine has blonde hair, although the color of her blonde is a bit different from Ven's blonde. I'm not sure if they had the entire Nobody concept fleshed out around the time when they were making Chain of Memories.

 **SoraLover1994:** Not sure if PM'd you to thank you but if not, here we go! It's flattering to know you missed this story, but hey, it's baaack. Yay! Vanille? Never played whatever Final Fantasy game she came from, but yeah, I figured an Aussie accent would compliment Namine's personality. I haven't been able to show much of it yet, but I will soon! Meh. Neku sucks in my version lol. Thanks for leaving a review!

 **Cyn:** Haha I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

 **Guest #2:** The question isn't more so WHY Neku broke her heart, it's HOW, and that will be revealed very soon. Lmao I know I know! I'd never use that kind of dialogue for a lemon, it's unrealistic. If you're referring to the scene with Xion and Terra in the back of his van, that was just for comedy's sake, not anything to be taken seriously. XD

Also, big shoutout and thanks to **The Fool's Arcana, Sora23ish, R. A. Hillis, Hollowfiedhuman95, tsukuneXmoka, snow. x. fairy, FoehammerE419, Mickey12315, SoraLover1994, JustAFanfictionReader, all the guests, TheNotSoTalentedPoet, and Sailor Weiss** for all of your lovely reviews from last chapter! You guys are the reason why I keep writing and reading over you guys' comments from previous chapters is what inspired me to write the new chapter! I have to thank anybody who takes the time to say something, because I really do write for you all more than I do for myself. I hope you all enjoyed it!

Also, please please please check out **The Price of a stolen Flower** by my bae **BlissfulNightRain!** She's awesome, give her reviews guys! Here's the summary for it:

"It's cruel irony, isn't it, Sephiroth? We're Senior Detectives of the Sex Crimes Unit! Our children were supposed to be immune to this, weren't they?" Zack finally let the pent-up tears begin to flow. "I was supposed to protect her!"

It's a bit darker and there are trigger warnings, but it's off to a strong start!

Please leave a review! I will love you for lyfe!

 **#bananasquad**


	9. Overtime

**Chapter 9**

Tonight is family night.

In general, it's an occasion when the fam gets together to enjoy each other's company. You know, chillin' out, maxin' and relaxin' all cool with a big bowl of popcorn on movie night after school. But at the Spades' residence, family night is a meeting in the dining room with a pile of letters from financial agencies and overdue bills scattered across the table with a collective bleak ambiance puncturing any aspiring joy into oblivion. Welcome to the party.

Dad rakes a hand through his long, black hair. "Social security, Medicare, tax rates, and insurance... and we barely have enough to survive 'til the end of the month. Paying for your mother's surgury did a number on us."

"At least Mom will be out of the hospital soon," I remind him.

"We can't keep relying on her," Dad says. "Her body's been through hell. She'll need to take it easy. Knowing that lunatic, she'll probably jump back into a normal routine even after just surviving cancer, but I'm not gonna give a damn about what she says, she'll be staying in bed for at least a little while."

"Fear not, Dad," Sora says. "My buddy, Riku, has my back. He's already pulling some strings to get me another job. Hopefully, I should start before the end of next week."

"That's great, Sora. But we need to find something more reliable. Our income is too unstable to take risks on part-time. And my legs aren't going to fully heal any time soon." Dad sighs. "What are we supposed to do? Yuffie would know..."

It was only a matter of time before we entered a greater position of financial strife. Money has been the root of our hardships for months now. A logically sound human being would take up their best friend's offer on a position at their job at a ramen place and save up. But I prefer a self-employed business where the only person I have to worry about screwing over is me.

Shiki sends a meaningful glance my way from across the table. Big sis may be difficult, but deep down she does care for this family, whether she admits it or not. We both know what we have to do to keep money on the table.

I guess it's time to work a little overtime.

 **Sunday, 8:02 PM**

"Ngh! Mm. Ohhh. Mm! Ngh. Oh, yeah... Mmmm..."

Don't worry. Those are fake moans.

Honestly, I feel really bad whenever I fake it. But in moments of desperation and financial crisis, business negates pleasure. Faking it or just letting him thrust inside while I sit here like a log can sometimes be the difference in whether or not a patron will come back for more.

But between you and me, this is terrible.

What? Were you expecting me to all like, 'he softly caressed my hair as he thrust his hard, erect member inside of me with a lustful intensity; his eyes brimmed with a wicked desire as my body weakens to his touch with every passing moment' or some other unrealistic shit? Fuck that. We keep it real here.

So, for the sake of future revenue, my hands are tied. Not that it necessarily feels bad, but there's just... nothing. Demyx doesn't have a particularly small one, but he lacks technique. He's more bent on mindless thrusting than properly stimulating his partner. Which sucks, because I think I gave him a pretty awesome blowjob earlier, if I do say so myself. Then again, with my acting skills, he probably thinks he's the bees knees right now. I guess I can only blame myself. Honestly, the worst part of this is that the big idiot forgot to buy some condoms, so I'm taking a huge risk here.

Besides, I don't yearn for a satisfying climax tonight. I just need him to hurry up and finish so I can get back home before curfew. I've got about thirty minutes.

"H-Holy shit, Xion, I'm gonna—"

I swear, if his pullout game isn't strong...

Oh, thank God. He pulls out and dumps his fluids all over my stomach, howling out a satisfying groan immediately afterwards. Well, I prefer it on my body than in my mouth. That particular luxury will only be granted to whom I can profess with absolute undying love. And we all know that ain't happenin' any time soon.

"That was fun." Demyx smirks.

I reach out for the box of tissues on his side table. "Sure. Where's your bathroom again?"

He frowns. "Why in such a hurry?"

"I don't really have much time to waste. My dad will probably choke the life out of me for not getting home in time on a school night."

He frowns, but nods understandably before scratching the back of his head. "You know, I was kinda hopin' we could just hang here for a little while and maybe just—"

"Bathroom. Now."

He sighs. "D-Down the hall, make a left. It's the blue door."

I gather my clothes and hurry until I spot the designated blue door. I lock myself in and release a repressed sigh, letting my clothes drop and allow my shoulders to collapse from stiffness. The bathroom is fairly modest; small but practical. No unnecessary space left open.

There's a mirror to my right. I cringe at the sight.

Oh, cool. Rhyme.

Looking in the mirror has grown difficult. I can't even look at myself in the eyes without bearing the urge to divert my attention. The mind can be a complex maze of dissident perspectives. There's so many layers that contradict. One component embraces the celestial abstraction of ignorance. Another part cherishes my true feelings and condescendingly hammers it into my brain 24/7. Bathing in denial while telling myself I'm perfectly fine with my profession sounds ideal. But for whatever reason, I've been shielded from succumbing to that kind of fog. I'm constantly being fed a spoonful of guilt, and it tastes bitter.

But why? It's my body. I can do whatever I want with it. So, why does this hurt so bad? Why do I look into my reflection feel my heart aching with shame? Visioning my mother with disappointment piercing from her cornea isn't exactly helping. She shuts her eyes and a single tear slips to her chin. The worst illusions are the ones that are plausible.

It's 8:10 now. I guess the time for contemplation has been skewered for a bit. I better hurry and get dressed.

Demyx knocks from the other side. "You alright in there?"

"Yeah. What is it?"

"Can I come in?"

I slide into my jeans and hoist them up with some difficulty. All girls with big butts will relate. "Um, you do realize that I'm getting dressed, right?"

"You do realize I literally just saw you naked, right?"

"...Touché."

He enters, fully clothed in a green tank top and white pants. He turns the water on and rinses his hands with soap.

"Can I help you?" I ask.

"More like I can help you." He dries his hands with the towel on the right hand of the sink.

"You sure can." I turn around with my disengaged bra directed his way. "Make yourself useful."

"What are we, a married couple?" He scoffs, but does as told anyway. "Nah, but seriously, I think we can make this thing work out."

"Whoa, you can save your breath. Sorry, but I don't exactly do relationships anymore..."

"If you'd let me finish," he interrupts. "I meant that we can do business. I've got a proposition in mind."

Way to be vague about it. After he snaps my bra into place, I face him with a quirked eyebrow. "Go on."

"Rumor has it that you really need the money."

"There's rumors now?"

"It's high school. What'd you expect?"

"I know, but who would be spreading that kind of stuff? Come to think of it, how _did_ Isa get my number, anyway?"

"Terra kinda spilled the beans to us."

"...Oh."

"Yeah, I got the impression that you two aren't exactly... on good terms."

"Aww, that's the nice way of putting it. Personally, I think he's a piece of shit who deserves to get his dick chopped off." I slide into my shirt nonchalantly.

"Right." He rubs the back of his head with a pained expression. "Well, that piece of shit may not be as bad as you might want to believe. When he mentioned you, he actually sounded pretty worried. Said you could use the money."

So, he actually _has_ a heart? Preposterous! "We're talking about Terra Dohring here, right?"

"Hey, I know my buddy can be an ass, but you gotta give him a chance." I did give him a chance, but he blew it. "Terra might have some issues, but he's not so bad once you get to know him."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure that's what Whitney said about Bobby, what Pamela said about Tommy, and what Rihanna said about Chris. And then they had a black eye. So, let's just move on from that subject and tell me what this proposition that I will most likely turn down is all about."

"Jeez, you're relentless." Demyx sets a hand on his hip and groans. "So, my parents are gonna be out all day this Friday. Makes for a lot of free time for booze, bongs, and chicks, you know what I mean? There'll be a lot of guys there." He smirks while perching on the closed toilet seat. "A lot of employed guys willing to pay for some private service in the guest room a few doors down."

Ignoring him, I slither into my jacket and brush my hair in the mirror.

"You see what I'm getting at here?" he continues. "I can hook you up. All you have to do is cut me forty percent."

Does he think he's my pimp or something? The prospect of me ever doing business with this creep in a million years is borderline amusing. Any friend of Terra is automatically bad news in my book. Forty percent? Give me a break.

"This isn't a game for me," I snap.

"What are you talking about?"

"Look, I appreciate the offer." Not really. "But I don't need your help." Besides, something about this smells foul. It doesn't take a genius to figure Demyx doesn't exude a semblance of trust.

"Come on, are you really gonna pass up an opportunity to make a fortune? Guys jump at the chance when someone brings you up, know what I'm saying? You must not know how rare that is."

I roll my eyes.

"Seriously," he resumes. "Do you really think most guys our age would cough up fifty bucks or more just to get a quick fuck?"

"Maybe the desperate ones."

He glares. "Hey man, shut up. And what's with that smirk? The point is, you're special. There's just somethin' about you that draws people to you and if you're smart, you'd take advantage of that, you know? So, I bring them all to one spot. It doesn't get any better than that, right?"

I put on my sunglasses and give him that badass stare those secret agents do in movies even though you can't see their eyes. I love doing that. "I realize guys like you automatically assume that I'm just a slut for the sake of slutism, but I'm not. This is a necessity, not some convenience of circumstance. So don't get it twisted. I'm not _that_ desperate."

"Did you just say 'slutism'?" I threaten to punch him and he flinches immediately. "Alright, alright, drama queen. I gotcha."

"Good. Now hurry up and take me home before your dumb ass gets me in trouble."

 **Monday, 11:37 AM**

I stuff a cold spoonful of pink yogurt into my mouth. Mm, mm, good! See, this is why lunch is the best class of the day.

"What's been up with you lately?" Kairi takes a sip from her paopu juice. "I feel like we've barely talked."

"Yeah, really," I agree. "It's been like, almost six chapters."

"What?"

"Huh?"

She puffs out her cheeks. "Seriously, Xion. Where have you been all this time?"

"Sorry, been working overtime. Things are getting really tight back home and I've been putting in a lot of work to get a little extra revenue." Especially since my wallet still hasn't turned up. I approached Yuna and her friends about it earlier, and they seem to genuinely not know anything about it. To be specific, she said something along the lines of...

"Eww, what the hell would I want with your money?"

I know Yuna. If she were lying, she would act a lot nicer to try and throw me off. I must've just dropped it somewhere. But it gives me all the more incentive to continue clocking double shifts on searching for clients. I know Shiki is doing the same.

"Aww, really?" Kairi pouts. "How tight? Like, butt cheeks in speedos tight?"

Sometimes, I forget that Kairi can be a herald for stupidity when she wants to be. "It's funny how you're always telling me to be serious, and then you go and say stuff like that."

"Well, if things are really getting tight, maybe you should come by Shoyu Shoyu!" Her eyes almost look pleading.

"I was actually considering it."

She lights up with excitement. "Really?!"

"Don't get your hopes up. Only because I kinda lied and told Mom that I'm working there already."

"Why would you do that?"

"Did I seriously have any other options? You want me to tell her that I've been too busy fucking and sucking nonstop for cash with my name practically become interchangeable with a target sign that says 'insert penis here', and me, her very own daughter, has been preoccupied with slurping on dick and letting them plow inside of her vaginal region with their—"

"Okay! You made your point." She gestures me to stop with a look of disgust. "You are so gross..."

Her purity makes me giggle. "Girl, how do you think you were born?"

"Dude!" she whines. "I do not need images of Mom and Dad... doing _it._ " She shudders.

"I can imagine it."

"What?"

"Your Dad is hot A.F. He's a total DILF."

She takes a deep breath. "So, I'm going to erase what you just said from my memory and pretend I never heard that come out of your mouth, and change the subject. Now, since you're in a pickle, you should totally come by Shoyu Shoyu after school. I can pull some strings!"

I shake my head. "No thanks. I'd lose a job like that on the third day. You know how clumsy I am."

"So you're telling me that destroying your innocence is easier than washing a few dishes?"

"We're talking about _me_ here. My innocence has been dead and buried for years now. Besides, I'd break those dishes."

Before I can even push the conversation forward, I spot Roxas in the short distance, laughing with his own friends. I almost call him over before memories of the other day return in a flash. Our insights on my situation are incompatible. Maybe it's for the best that we don't enter the realm of friendship. We're cut from different fabrics with polar opposing outlooks. It probably wouldn't have worked out in the end anyway.

Keep telling yourself that, Xion. That's why your heart twinges at the sight of him. I shouldn't have yelled at him. You can make the argument that he was being a pompous prick who thought he had some sort of right to tell me what's best for me, but at the end of the day, unlike Terra, Demyx, or the many others who've bore witness to my situation, he was trying to help. He actually cared.

Our eyes meet and I instinctively send him a smile hopeful for forgiveness and a feeble wave. He looks uncertain for a moment, tossing his eyes downward. Maybe we're both suffering from a little bit of guilt. But he returns eye contact with a gentle smile before catching up with his friends.

I sigh of relief. Well, that rings for some optimism. Maybe it's not hopeless.

How can so much happen in just over two and a half days? I must have some kind of world record for making a friend and then losing them in the matter of hours.

"Helloooo? Xioooon?" Kairi claps in my ear.

"What, woman?!" Can't you see I'm fantasizing here?

"I've been going on about Sora for the past three minutes and I was asking if you'd put in a good word for me yet. Don't tell me you didn't hear a single word I said..."

...Awkward.

My phone vibrates. I slide my screen open to a text message.

 **Hey do you have time to meet up tonight?**

It's Xehanort.

 **7:40 PM**

It's evening. Two twin beds. A hotel room and some lit candles.

Major improvement from last night. I can confirm that these grunts and moans of mine are genuine. Honestly, though, sometimes moaning feels like the traditional thing to do anyway, but it's nice when it's actually sincere. Xehanort smashes inside from behind. My fingers envelope around the rail at the end of our bed.

And no, we're not doing anal.

Xehanort is one of those guys I don't mind servicing. He's got decent technique, hits the right spots, and he understands the severe importance of foreplay. That means he's probably got a nice chunk of experience. Good thing we're using a condom.

This is officially the third time I've gotten some from Xehanort, so he knows what buttons to push at this point. I gasp every couple of seconds. If only this guy were available every day.

But unfortunately, life isn't so sweet. Some days you get aces like Xehanort, other days you get dunces.

 **Thursday, 7:18 PM**

For example...

"On your knees, woman. I expect an adequate service of fellatio in return for my fee of one-hundred-dollars," Dilan says as he takes a seat in his chair. "Now get to it!"

Today we have a dunce.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" I cross my arms and cock my hip to the side just so he knows who the hell he's messing with.

His once strong, demanding expression transitions into one of cowardice. "I mean, uh... please?"

Besides Xehanort, I've really been piling on the assholes lately. Might have something to do with the bevy of rich jerks going to Yasoina High. I better get this over with. Believe me, I wouldn't take this kind of shit if the circumstances were different. But asshole or not, this is business. I drop down to my knees as his... _thing_ wobbles before my face.

Alright, Xion, you know the drill. Think sea-salt ice cream... sea-salt ice cream... sea-salt ice cream...

This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't so freaking hairy! I back up and pull a strand of pubic hair out of my mouth and repress the urge to vomit on the spot. "Dear, god..."

His face goes red. "Well, this is rather humiliating..."

"I'll say. Your drainage pipes must be a mess." I try to flick the fiend off my finger, but it won't budge. No matter how much I shake, it's stuck to my finger like glue.

Dilan chuckles dumbly.

"Shut up! Okay, that's it. We're moving to round two. No blowjobs for you, my friend."

He mopes. "Where's the fun in this?"

I'm sorry, Mom. Besides music, this is all I know. I can feel my youth rotting every time I end a session with one of these losers. It can be fun at times when you're caught up in the moment, and I've got plenty of stories to tell friends later on, but at what cost? Maybe it's the company that bothers me. I swear, sometimes I feel like guys are all the same. These little boys need their fathers to teach them how to be men, but it's a repeated cycle of abandonment from generation to generation.

Roxas is different. He's not like other guys, is he? It's not even about him not jumping to take up my offer, even for free. There's something else that I can't pinpoint. A guy like him needs to be analyzed.

I'm thinking about him again. Wait, is this the part in the romance where the main lead just _can't keep her mind off her annoyingly perfect hunk of love?_ Yeah, real original.

My phone breaks me out of my reverie. I excuse myself from my Dilan for a moment and answer. "'Lo?"

"Xion." It's Demyx.

"What's up?"

"Bummed. Remember that party I was talking about? Turns out nobody can come."

"Nobody? You have friends, right?"

"Uh, I dunno, man, sometimes I get the feeling I'm a nuisance," he says with shaky chuckles. Why does he sound so nervous? "I feel like they don't really even want me around."

"You want to set up therapy sessions?"

He laughs. "Eh, something like that. I was wondering if you could stop by tomorrow, maybe help me take my mind off things? I got paid today, so I'll bunk your price up to two hundred."

Sounds delicious. "I'll be there."

"You will?" He stops for a moment and clears his throat. "I-I mean, of course you will. C-Cool. I'll pick you up after school." He hangs up.

I had a feeling I hadn't seen the last of Demyx. Maybe this could be some precedent to him becoming a new regular. I wouldn't mind. I'd just have to deal with lackluster sex on a more consistent basis. Yippee.

Whatever. Fuck bitches, get money. No more depressing thoughts about my mom, or guilt, or Roxas, or any of that crap. I need to focus on what's important in life—sucking dick!

Wow. Try saying that to someone out of context.

 **Friday, 3:58 PM**

I scroll through my social media on my phone while waiting out by the front stairs of Twilight High. Kairi rests her head on my shoulder, groaning pathetically with sweat dripping down the side of her forehead.

"Xioooon... it's sooo... haaawwwt... I'm meelltiiing..."

"You'll live."

"I can't believe you're ditching me and our regular paopu smoothie run for some dude! Didn't you make like four hundred this week?"

"I need all the money I can get. Four hundred won't cut it 'til Mom gets better."

"Gawwwd," she groans. "Did the devil just, like, rise from the lake of fire and burp on Twilight Town today or something? How else could it be so haaawwwt?"

"Well, obliviously because I'm here." A shadow looms over us. That voice is too familiar. "Twilight Town just can't handle all of this. Afternoon, girls!" Roxas grins.

"Roxaaass..." Kairi can barely stand. She waddles like a zombie and trips over herself, but Roxas catches her just in time.

"Whoa, there!" He chuckles. "You okay?"

He can let go of her now. She's fine. Hey! I'm right here, you know? Did that kiss mean nothing to you? At long last, he lets go once she calms down. That was the longest three point sixty-three seconds of my life. I muster up the courage to spare him some eye contact, and he looks a bit empathetic.

"Hey," he says.

"Uh, hi..." Nevermind. Eyes must stay on phone. "Why are you here?"

"Well, since I'm not doing anything today, I figured I'd invite Kairi out for a smoothie. We can discuss the project."

"Ohhh, Ro-o-xaasss...!" Kairi envelopes him a pathetic hug. "Yer a life saverrrr! Dying...! Need... paopuuuu..."

He chuckles. "Don't worry about it. I know a place."

He's peculiarly chipper today. What's with him? We just had an argument. Shouldn't he still be bitter and depressed like me? I thought that was how this was supposed to work. But instead he smiles at me and I quickly shift my eyes back to my phone.

"I was thinking maybe you'd like to join us?"

What's wrong with you? It can't be this easy. We're supposed to be avoiding each other until something quirky conveniently brings us back together! "No thanks. I have plans."

A moment of silence passes. "Oh, okay. What kind of plans?"

A loud honk blares in the distance as a blue Camry pulls up to the curb. Demyx gestures me from the driver's seat.

"The business kind." I hurry before either one of them can say anything. I toss my bags into the back and take a seat in the passenger side.

"Buckled in?" Demyx asks.

"Yep."

I dare not look back. Both Roxas and Kairi know what's going on and what's about to happen. I already know what kind of faces they're making. Looks of shame and disappointment. I get it already. I've gotten enough of that on my own omission.

Demyx speeds into the distance.

 **4:15 PM**

"This is my boy's car," says Demyx. "He let me borrow it for the weekend."

"Hm. Your friend must really trust you."

"Yeah, I always got his back. He's been through a lot. Parents got divorced, ran away from home, heard he was getting abused by his mom's boyfriend."

"That's awful."

"He just really needs someone right now, so I've been trying to support him. Cheer him up. I'll always be there for Isa."

"Oh, Isa?" I almost laugh. "Didn't he date a freshman and cheat on her?"

"He's... kinda impulsive and likes to live in the moment, but he's a good guy. He never _intentionally_ tries to hurt anyone. I think you might like him."

"Please." He cheated on someone. That's all I need to know. "He had better pay a pretty penny if he wants me to like him, and even that would only be temporary."

Demyx shifts in his seat a little. "Funny you should say that..."

I squint skeptically at his obscure demeanor. "Why? What is it?"

"Oh, tch, nothing! Just—you know, uh... Isa, he's had it really hard, man. He told me that this one time he almost drowned in the river—"

"Demyx."

He keeps his eyes on the road with stiff shoulders. What the hell is he trying to pull?

"I was just wondering how you felt about a... train."

A train?

"Wait, isn't that when... two guys, and one girl...?"

He goes silent for a moment. "So you do know what it is..."

"Took a minute to register."

An awkward silence engulfs probable conversation. I really want to kick him in the nuts right now, but that wouldn't be very smart, him being behind the wheel and all. I'm trying to desperately lock a cage around my rage right now but I don't know how long I can hold on.

"You haven't said anything for a while," he says.

"What do you want me to say?"

"It's really not that complicated. Isa, he's just been a little down lately, and he's always looking out for me. So, I dunno, I figured he'd need something to lift his spirits. He hasn't had any action in a while and he was up for a little, uh, double teaming action. Plus I... already kinda promised him that you'd be down for it."

"You what?!"

"H-Hey, I-I thought you'd be cool with it!"

"No, I'm not cool with it, you moron! I don't do this out of the kindness of my heart to see you dipshits get your dicks wet, I do this for my own sake. That doesn't mean I want to fuck every living thing on the planet!"

"Well, what did you expect me to think? You're a hooker! That's not exactly synonymous with a church girl."

"But two guys, though?!" I sit back in my seat and cross my arms. "Can't we at least do one at a time?"

"He's pretty insistent on the double team. I dunno, I guess the idea of you sucking my dick while he's hitting it from behind kinda turns him on."

"You are _so_ not selling this well!" Goodness, couldn't he at least be a bit more _subtle_ about it? "Don't tell me, he's already waiting at your place, isn't he?"

He sends an apologetic smile. "I, uh... heh heh heh..."

What is with these guys? Are all men just naturally born with some type of, I don't know, douchebag gene? Okay, I couldn't come up with anything clever. Sue me. But you get the point. Could he have at least given me some further notice to consider? In hindsight, I probably would have declined anyway, but... still! That's just unprofessional!

So, I have to manage two dicks? Are you kidding me? I've never had a threesome before. Never planned to, either. Way too much dick at one time for me. Not judging anyone who's into that sort of thing, but it's not for me. It's way less intimate. With two people, at least it feels like we're bonding. Three people just sounds bestial.

I'm considering it only for the money. Maybe if I can strike up some kind of bargain, it'll make this worth it.

Sigh. Fuck my life.

"Fine," I deadpan.

Demyx glows instantly and I resist the urge to knock his teeth out of his skull and make him swallow them. "Really? T-That's great!"

"However," I interrupt. "Only on one condition. Either he pays for his own half, or you pay for him. If not, then he can stay in the living room and get acquainted with some lotion and his right hand for all I care."

"F-Fine, fine... I gotcha."

"And no matter what, you give me a fifty-dollar tip for this shit. Your family makes decent money, right? So it shouldn't be a problem."

"O-Of course. You got it. Whatever you say." He fist pumps. "Thank you so much, Xi! You probably just made his day."

Kill me.

After a few more minutes, we finally arrive at his place. It's a pretty big and fancy estate, with a large front lawn leading up to a blue house so big that it's just a few steps away from possibly being mistaken as a mansion. Demyx reverse the car into his garage and parks. He turns to me with a smile. "You ready?"

Fuck you.

"Uh, heh... you're still mad at me, huh?"

Go to hell.

"Right... I promise I'll make it up to you." He gets out of the car. I sigh and do the same. If I'm lucky, they'll both ejaculate in about fifteen or so and I can get my money and leave.

As we head up the stairs, I hear a voice. Before long, I hear another voice, clearly different from the previous one. The more we walk, the voices become clearer and louder as they multiply with every step. It's supposed to be just Isa here, right?

But then I listen closely and I can distinguish Terra's voice in the discordant mix as well. It almost sounds like...

A party?

I stop for a moment. Demyx notices and sends a confused, but slightly nervous gaze. "W-What's wrong?"

"You said it'd just be you and Isa."

He scratches his cheek. "O-Oh, uh... did I say that?"

"Who's up there?"

"Oh, w-well, uh—maybe I forgot to mention this or something, but maybe there's about three, four... _maybe_ five people up there who kinda want a piece of the action...?"

"Five?!"

"You guys hear that?" says a muffled voice.

"Yeah, it's coming from his basement," says another.

I give Demyx the most rage-induced glare I can muster. "You set me up."

He doesn't have the balls to look me in the face and rubs the back of his head. "C-Come on, Xion, I mean, with a reputation like yours, what did you really t-think was gonna—"

The door above opens. In the middle of the blinding light is none other than Terra Dohring. Why am I not surprised?

"Hey, they're here!" I can see the pure evil evident in his devilish grin. "Hey Xion, long time no see."

My eyes dart back and forth from Terra to Demyx. Demyx still looks too ashamed to look me in the face. "What the fuck is going on here?"

Terra makes his way down the stairs. "Nothing," he says, nonchalantly. "We were just havin' a little house party—and then we realized it was a complete sausage fest in here and figured it'd be nice to find someone who could even the odds."

I take a step back. "If you think I'm coming within two feet of you, you're insane!" I turn to Demyx. "And just how many people are here?"

Demyx bites his lip. "Uh... that's..."

"D'ahhh, it's no problem!" Terra interrupts. "Just about eight of us. You can handle that, can't you?"

EIGHT?!

I'm out of here! I hurry for his garage door, but a strong hand snags my wrists and pulls me back into his rock hard chest before wrapping his arms around my upper body. "Hey, settle down! You haven't even gotten to meet the squad yet." I can feel Terra's breath brush against my ear and his smirk against my skin. "You're looking good, Xion."

"Get the hell off me! I'll—"

"You'll what, exactly?" he asks. "You know, I met this dude the other day who came up to my job looking for a position. Great guy, too. Always saying hello, being nice, just an upstanding fellow. But you know what was really interesting? I found out that his last name is Spades. And, guess what else? He talked so highly of his little sister. I mean, besides the fact that she apparently annoys the shit out of him, he did say he was awfully proud of her for being _so_ smart and I could clearly tell he'd give his life for her."

No... Sora.

"Wouldn't it be a shame if he somehow found out that his sister is nothing but a cheap whore selling herself out when she's only in high school? Man, I'd hate to see his face."

He'd probably tell Dad, too. Not to get me in trouble, but I know Sora, and I know how he thinks. In his mind, he'd be trying to protect me. I can't even imagine the shame if Sora or Dad ever found out. They can never know.

"Or, even worse, what if the poor guy found himself lost in an alleyway with a bunch of guys ready to beat the shit out of him if a certain little slut talks too much? That'd be a real shame." He snakes an arm around my shoulders leans closer to my ear and whispers. "Maybe this will teach you not to disrespect me. So, how about you get upstairs and get ready to take these clothes off? We've got refreshments."

My heart thumps against my rib cage. I don't really have a choice. It's a lose-lose situation, but I just can't let Sora get caught up in my affairs. This is my mess. I have to clean it up.

Terra smacks me on the rear end and leads us to the stairs. "'Atta, girl! We'll have a good time, right?"

For once, I'm speechless. No comebacks. No crappy one-liners. I'm just an empty canvas walking the steps to her impending doom. It's a bit hard to believe this is actually happening. Almost hard to believe this isn't a bad dream.

We pass Demyx on the way up. He still refuses to look. If he's so guilty, then why would he do it in the first place?

Terra pushes the door open. A bunch of guys hang around a pool table with glasses of alcohol in their possession. I make a quick count to confirm that it's six of them. Adding Terra and Demyx makes eight.

I recognize everyone in the room. From left to right, Isa Sato, Tidus Fleming, Wakka Otani, Dilan Akimoto, Seifer Almasy, and Raijin Nakazaki, Seifer's right hand lackey.

I've been with most of them and they all have their more rough tendencies. The thought of them coming together makes my knees weak.

"Meet the squad, Xion," Terra says. "Alright, boys, looks like our guest has finally arrived."

The guys high five each other and chuckle as if there's some kind of inside joke I'm not aware of.

"About time," Seifer says. "It's been too long since I've gotten any ass, man."

At that, Terra literally takes a handful of my ass and squeezes. "Oh ho, don't worry, bro. She's got way more than enough to go around."

Gulp.

* * *

O_o

I hope that's the face you're making at the moment.

I had the scene at the end in mind from the moment I wrote the first chapter. I knew I wanted Xion to get caught up so bad that everything came back to bite her, but I was actually getting kind of scared while writing it. It's a little scary when you realize that this could easily happen to you just because you're a woman. But thankfully, there are lots of good guys out there too.

And btw, Xion's comment on how guys are all jerks, for any guys reading this, please don't take it too seriously, it was just her thought process in that moment. And understand that in her situation, she'd meet a lot of them, so by default she expects all guys to be the same because she doesn't know any better. That's why Roxas intrigues her so much.

So I finally worked in some sex scenes in this story that's called "Sex Sells" lol. I know a lot of people want to see some lemons, but I'm still a noob at writing them. But honestly, most of these weren't really "lemons", just Xion describing how good or bad her partner was. By the way, those scenes aren't meant to be taken too seriously. The only scene that really gives you a taste for how I'd write a lemon is the beginning of the scene with Squall. See, I don't really want to write lemons when it's not really important to the story. And especially when it's with a character that's not important. So don't confuse most of the content in this chapter as lemons, I'll save those for later!

In other news, I LOOOOOOOVVE my new cover photo guys! It was drawn by SummonerDagger88! She is awesome! Go give her some banana love on her DeviantArt, it's the same name! I know it isn't super fancy or anything, but I didn't want it to be anything fancy. This cover photo really is special to me. The way she drew it captured Xion's personality perfectly yet subtly, from her facial expression to her posture. And I love how she's wearing her leather jacket too, since from the moment I started writing Xion, I imagined her to be the type to wear a leather jacket for some reason. And now I can see it in tangible form! Every time I needed some inspiration to write this chapter, all I had to do was look at that picture and Xion told me everything she wanted to say. It's really like looking at my very own character from this fic come to life before my eyes and it's just so awesome to see! It's tied with my cover photo for Rags To Riches, which was also drawn by a friend!

Alright, now to respond to some guests!

 **Guest #1:** That's an interesting theory, as far as Roxas having seen someone in Xion's situation before! But I can't confirm or deny it, so lips are sealed!

 **Guest #2:** Not sure if you're a different guest or not, but Olette doesn't particularly WANT Sora, but she does find him attractive.

 **Guest #3:** Ah yeah, I agree that there is something more spiritual about sex than people may like to believe too, so I understand where you're coming from. And yeah, sexually transmitted diseases are a bummer, but maybe they wouldn't exist if people would stop sleeping around all the time and just settled for one partner. Oh well.

 **Guest #4:** Can't confirm or deny any of these! XD

Oh, btw, maybe it's just me, but I don't recall ever giving the school in this story an actual name. Was it something basic like Twilight High? If I did, and someone remembers, could you tell me? I kinda put Yasoina High up there as a placeholder but if there really was no mention of the high school name, then it might be permanent. I got the name by combining terms from Persona 4.

Speaking of Persona 4, I got into this game recently and holy crap, I'm OBSESSED WITH IT. The characters are so awesome! Does anybody else out there share my love for Persona 4? Tell me down below!

Alrighty! Thanks for reading and if you could pleeeeeaase leave a review, that would make my day! I would really appreciate it!

 **#bananasquad**

P.S Hey guys, reuploading this chapter! I trimmed it down so that it's not as much of a hassle to read! I HATE posting long chapters! I hope this makes it easier for some people! And if any of you who've already read this just so happen to read through this again, could you be so kind to let me know which version you prefer in a guest review? Thanks!


	10. Alone

Trigger Warnings below!

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Was this worth it? The million-dollar question.

I have no form of protection. Fighting back would have been futile. Had to just lay there and take it. Forced to obey their demands, swallow the harassment, and withstand the humiliation in a means to satisfy their fleshly quenches.

"Come on, bitch! Hurry up, y'know?" Rai demands, stuffing his member down my throat. Can't breathe—can't fucking breathe!

"Ohh, shit!" Tidus moans as he smashes in behind me. I can hear our skin smacking harmoniously with every thrust. "See? I knew she'd have it in her. She has, like—the perfect body, dude."

Powerless. No choice but to take it.

"This bitch knows how to fuck, y'know?" Rai tilts his head back with pleasure. "Moisturize that shit..." He gropes one of my exposed breasts as he forcefully rams his shaft into my mouth.

I can feel Tidus picking up his pace, each plunge harder than the last. "Oh, fuck, Xion! Oh shit..."

"Swallow it, swallow it..." Rai requests almost breathlessly. His erection tightens and his veins pop imminently. Without warning, he shoots his viscous seed down into my esophagus. It tastes like thick, soapy dishwashing liquid with extra salt. He lets out a satisfactory moan as I'm forced to gulp his kids.

I'm so fucking pathetic. Can't even fight back. In the aftermath, I can only lay here on the bed and let Tidus finish. Seriously, is _this_ what my worth surmounts to?

Rai backs up and jacks the rest of his leftover sperm out. "She's all yours, y'know."

"I'm almost done. I'll meet you guys out there in a sec."

Rai zips his fly and exits into the living room to join the other six guys present at my profanation. At least it's only the one now. For the whole night, I was forced to please two at the very least, and five at most. At least now I feel like I can fucking breathe. But damn it, looks like Tidus finally got what he wanted.

"Oh my god, Xion," Tidus says as he lightly, but firmly wraps his fingers around my throat. "This shit is ten times better than Yuna's."

"F-Fuck you..."

Yuna, I'm sorry.

He increases his velocity before finally exploding. After reveling in his climax, he pulls out and removes his condom. "We should do this more often."

Skewered breathing and chest heaving. My body feels anesthetized. Fingers twitch uncontrollably, legs rendered numb, and my brain feels ravaged beyond a promptly repair. I'm repulsed at my own body.

He zips up his pants, his face besmirched with a gruesome smirk. My naked body lies bare and exposed. I couldn't do anything. It was too much at once. Everything hurts.

"Thanks for that, Xion! I finally got to know what you feel like." Tidus winks before sparing me one last look near the doorway. "Oh, and not a word to Yuna about this, okay? You don't want to do that to yourself." He's the last one to leave this morning. Go to hell. Fucking hope he dies. Fucking hope they all die. I'd fucking kill them myself.

Tossed and turned, pushed and shoved, slapped and choked, bruised and battered. Small, but noticeable purple blemishes decorate my shoulder. Too much going on at once. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't even defend myself when it counted most. All I could do was endure their sultry breaths, foul odors, and rough gestures.

A sharp breath of cold air sweeps over my body. Sunlight leaks through the blinds. Nauseous. Head on fire. Can't think straight. I can barely lift myself. My arms tremble as I push myself up and an uncomfortable tremor rushes through my veins. My muscles are sore. I can't stay here. My clothes are in the corner. They're practically torn up. My jacket will hide the rips. Gotta hurry. I'm gonna go crazy if I stay here.

My vision is a little blurry. Straighten up, Xion! Get over yourself. Stay strong, damn it. You weak, worthless, piece of shit. Stop it! It's not that bad. You're gonna be okay, just... It happened and there's nothing you can do about it. Just—just move on and forget about it.

You're okay. You're okay. It's not your fault. You're fine.

I take a deep breath and wrap my fingers around the doorknob. Trembling. Do I even want to go outside? Can't stay here, though. Gotta make it quick. I bite my lip and exit the desecrated area while keeping my head low and my eyes impervious to eye contact. They're situated on the sofa around the TV—a circle of smug faces and satisfied grins. They look as if they bear not even a morsel of remorse for their actions. If I had a gun...

"You still here?" Terra says, chugging on a glass bottle of alcohol. "Thanks for your cooperation. Now get the fuck outta here."

Don't let him intimidate you. You can do this. You're tough. "What about my p-pay?" Can barely speak. My voice is coarse. These guys just had their way with me and I can't even speak up. Take a deep breath. You're okay. You're not gonna cry. Be strong.

"You really think we're gonna pay you?" Terra says, belting a howl of laughter. I should have known Demyx was bluffing about a hundred-dollar bonus. "Door's that way. Get out of here."

Go to hell. I'll never forgive any of you. They just defiled and abused my body for hours, yet they sit in a comfortable silence like it's an ordinary occasion. Does this happen more often than I realized?

Demyx is cast off by himself in the corner. He sits on a bean bag next to the flat screen TV. He refuses to spare me a glance. They took turns in a disgusting gauntlet of wild fornication that felt endless. It carried on through the night with varying degrees of participants—they all got a piece, except Demyx. He was the only one who wouldn't budge. Why? Must be guilt. But he set me up. I don't understand.

I'm so nauseous... I can't think. Stomach hurts. Oh god, it hurts...!

The memories are still ripe and painfully vivid. I was raped. I was _raped_ for hours and the worst part is that I can't tell anyone. What if I'm pregnant? Or infected? We used an entire pack of condoms. What would my family think? What would Mom think? The unwanted speculation brings an unwelcome stir to the pit of my stomach. Can't hold it in. Gonna blow. I was fucking raped. Where's the bathroom? I was raped! I was raped! Oh my god! Oh my—

BLARRGGGHHH!

"Oh, shit! What the hell!" says Isa. They stumble out of their spots and marvel disgustingly at my hunched over disposition. My stomach inverts as I heave out yesterday's undigested lunch onto the carpet, swirling in a messy mix of orange and green. Take that, assholes.

"Dude!" Tidus says.

"Aww, man..." Demyx whines. "Mom is gonna kill me if I don't clean that up."

"Someone get this wench out of here," Dilan demands. "She executed her role splendidly but it's high time she be disposed of."

"Way ahead of you." Terra yanks me to my feet by the arm. "You are so gross, Xion!"

"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you." I cough as I wipe my face clean.

He gives an evil squint before shoving me towards the front door. "Are you _trying_ to piss me off or does it just come naturally? Because I'm about three seconds away from—"

He stops and composes himself, gnawing on his jaw.

"Look, if you just get the fuck out, we'll keep this little incident under wraps. Everything will go back to normal and your brother won't have to get hurt. Now, I'm going to say this one last time—get outta here! Or are you up for a sixth round?"

"Give me my fucking money!"

"Are you talking to me?" He backhands my cheek and I drop to the floor. An unwarranted sizzle disperses against the side of my face. I can hear his heavy breathing and only imagine what kind of stone cold look his heartless eyes garner. "You are _not_ talking to me!"

Déjà vu, anyone? There isn't a clear choice in this situation. Stay down, I'm humiliated. Get up, and I might have a black eye. Again. I'm seriously tired of being a half-human half-racoon hybrid.

"W-Whoa, uh... dude?" Wakka says. "Maybe you should take a chill pill, ya?"

"What?" Terra doesn't sound too pleased.

"Yo, man," Sefier says. "We got what we wanted out of her and you got your little 'revenge'. It's over. Let it go."

"You can't be serious." Terra shakes his head. "You're really gonna defend _that_ _?_ You boys goin' soft on me?"

I cough. "That's what she said..."

Everyone pauses and all eyes hit me from every direction, I guess out of surprise that I said something at all, let alone a corny joke. But it feels like a necessity to keep myself sane. If I don't, I might just go crazy.

He forcefully lifts me by the shirt and readies his fist. "Alright, I've had just about enough of that smart ass mouth of yours."

Demyx shoves him hard enough to release me at the last second. "Dude! You didn't have to hit her!"

Terra's eyes look bewildered at the prospect of a skinny punk bitch like Demyx actually possessing balls solid enough to stand up to him. I gotta say, even I'm slightly impressed.

"Whoa, dudes!" The others rush into the fray and hold them back. I back up against the door, sparing Demyx a glance. He returns the eye contact and uses his thumb to quickly gesture the door so quick it goes unnoticed by the others in the midst of the chaos.

On the contrary, Terra's wallet perches out from his back pocket. It practically dangles before me, begging to be snatched. I heard Terra is the heir of his father's oil commodity, so I'm sure he's loaded. And I'm not leaving until I get _something_ worth my time.

I quickly and carefully pick pocket his wallet and bolt out of the front door. The sharp morning breeze smacks against my face with their barbaric barking blaring in the background. My name is exclaimed a number of times, but I don't look back. I just have to get away, as fast as my legs will carry.

Xion...

Xion...!

"Xion!"

"Huh?"

I wake from the immersive illusion of memory to find myself sitting before a hospital bed. The antiseptic ventilation floods through my nostrils, surrounded by a pasty white with a flower embroidery stretching across the walls, and Mom watches me intently with a worrisome gleam in her big, hazel pupils.

"I-I'm sorry, what?"

"You need to get your butt out of the clouds!"

"Sorry, Mom. I-I just can't focus today. And excuse my superior knowledge in the art of hyperbole, but don't you mean _head_ out of the clouds?"

"That's not the point." She rolls her eyes. "You've been in zombie land this entire time! What'sza matter? You do look kinda pale, girly."

She reaches for my forehead but I gently smack her hand away. "I-It's nothing." Just can't get this morning out of my mind. It replays in my head over and over in a continuous cycle. But she can't know about that. It'd break her heart and send her into a coma.

She places a hand on her chin. "I get the feeling... that this is one of those times when everything you say is actually the exact diametric inverse of what you really mean. Are you sure nothing's on your mind?"

I hate when she randomly turns into a thesaurus like that. "Yes," I drone. "I've only said it like forty-five times."

"Hey, now." Her expression turns stern. "What's with the attitude there?"

"S-Sorry."

I fidget with my hands and keep my eyes attached to my lap. I don't have to look at Mom to know what kind of wary glare of suspicion she's giving me. That kind of look does not bode well for my anxiety.

Mom takes a deep breath. "Talk to me."

Okay, Mom. You win. The truth is that while you've been sick at the hospital—I've been nothing but a filthy, disgusting little pervert whoring herself out to every resident creep at school in order to put money on the table and food in our bellies. Isn't that fantastic news? "There's nothing to say."

"Nonsense, girly! What, are you really going to keep secrets from your own mother? That's a fine way of thanking the person who pushed you right out of their genitalia seventeen years ago."

"Mom... that's gross," I whine.

"Don't make me use my psychedelic powers and force you to tell me the truth!" She flails her arms like a madwoman and rattles her fingers.

Even when she's serious, she's joking. Can't she stay on topic for more than three seconds? "That's not funny, Mom. I'm not five anymore."

Mom sobers up and rests her arms, looking a little disappointed. "Okay..."

"S-Sorry. I don't mean to be rude, I just..."

"Honey, what's wrong? You're not yourself. A mother knows when her baby isn't acting right and I know you came here for something."

I came here to get away. I came here hoping her company would act as a form of escapism from my shitty reality. I was hoping you would cheer me up, and then when you try, I have to go into bitch mode. What _did_ I come here for, anyway? What was I hoping to accomplish? To tell her the truth? Yeah, right.

She can never know about how my body was externally tainted by ungodly amounts of bodily fluids. It doesn't help that I'm underage. My mind is still jumbled in a blender. I don't know what to do. This impure, profaned lifestyle is stained on my conscience.

Mom places a hand over mine. I muster the courage to look into her eyes. "Your father has been very worried about you."

"Still?"

She nods. "He says you've been out more than usual this past week."

I avert my gaze. "Yeah, well..."

"He even says that you've been a big help in keeping the family afloat. You've accumulated a suspicious amount of income lately and he didn't know where it came from. I mentioned your job at Shoyu Shoyu but he didn't seem to know anything about it. Why keep something like that a secret?"

"I—I don't know, Mom. Okay? I don't fucking know."

"Hey, now! Watch that mouth of yours, young lady!"

"Just stop interrogating me, okay? I'm fine. We're fine. Everything is fine. So, can we just drop it already?"

"Calm down!" She leans over her bed and takes both of my hands into hers. "Xion... I don't understand. Why are you acting like this? Did I do something to upset you?"

"N-No, Mom! Y-You're fine, I'm just..." I trail.

"Just what?" She examines me with a worrying inspection. "You act like you barely even want to be associated with us, anymore. Most of the time I have to _beg_ you just to pay me a visit. Vincent says you're constantly in and out of the house and—half the time he doesn't even know where you go." Mom caresses a hand through my raven hair. "Xion, where do you go?"

Oh, don't worry about me, folks. I just hate myself, that's all. "I gotta go. I'm sorry."

Ignoring my mother's protests, I hurry out of her room before her eyes kill me any further.

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

I learned something today, guys. I _really_ don't want any daughters.

I hop off the bus and drag my limp body down my street. The thought occurred to me while I was waiting on the bus and flipping through all of the dinero in Terra's wallet. What if I have a daughter of my own running around behind my back letting any asshole with a little cash get a piece of her?

If I have a boy, I only have to worry about one penis. With a girl, I'd have to worry about every other penis in town. And I can't really even get mad at her because, guess what, her own mother used to do the same thing when she was in high school. That kind of stress is not for me. And I especially wouldn't want my girl to have to suffer the way I have. No one should have to go through this.

But what do I care? I'm an irrelevant harlot making ends meet through a physical act of reproduction. Who's to say that little girl isn't inside me right now? I shudder at the possibility as I rub my tummy. I should probably take one of big sis's pregnancy tests soon. I am on the pill, but you can never be too sure.

Not only did I not get paid for getting gangbanged against my own will, but I had to steal a man's wallet just to make sure we have money for groceries for the next couple of weeks. I've got to have some kind of record for being the worst daughter _and_ future mother of the century so far.

I pull my key out of the crease of my breasts and make my way inside. The comfortably familiar ambiance of home really eases the tension stocking up at my core. I really have been out of the house a lot lately, huh? And after what happened today, there's seriously no other place I'd rather be.

But to my misfortune, the last person I wanted to see sits at the table in the living room. He seems to be scouring through an unorganized mess of papers. He eyes me while adjusting his reading glasses. "Oh, hey. You're home early."

"Yeah..."

I was really hoping I could just place the money on the table and rush into my room without anybody hounding over me as far as how I accumulated such relatively large income overnight. So much for that.

"You never came home last night."

"It was Friday. I spent the night at Kairi's."

"Oh," Dad says, stroking his chin. "Funny you should say that, since I called the Hart residence last night and Kairi said that you were on your way home. But you never showed up."

You know what? I'm tired, I'm worn out, I just got blackmailed into sexual misconduct, I puked, let's just say I've had a long ass day. So please excuse my French, but I think that justifies my lack of shits, fucks, and damns to give towards this conversation.

Ignoring his leery ogle, I dig through my jacket pocket.

"Aren't you going to explain yourself?" he asks.

"I already told you, I was at Kairi's. If you don't want to believe me, then I can't do anything about it."

He massages his temples. "Xion, I'm stressed enough as it is. Do you see all of this?" he asks in reference to the scattered pile of letters and checks gracing the living room table. "I'm already up to my neck in debt and I do _not_ need to be worrying where the hell my youngest daughter is for the whole night. I sent Sora and Shiki out to find you and they came back empty-handed, so now I want you to explain to me why—"

He renders himself speechless when I toss all the money I could find in Terra's wallet onto the table. His face transitions through confusion and stupefaction as he tries to process his words.

"Where did you get that?"

I ignore him and drag myself up the stairs.

"I asked you a question."

"It's no big deal."

"Yes, it is a big deal and I want an explanation!" He gets out of his seat and limps his way towards the stairs.

"I got the money, that's all that matters. Now can you leave me alone?"

"Xion, get back down here right now so that we can sort this out!"

Rolling my eyes, I continue up the stairs and proceed to my room. I can hear Dad wincing in pain due to his injured leg.

"Who do you think you are, girl? Xion! I'm not gonna take this crap from my own daughter."

I slam the door shut and thank God I have the ability to lock it. That doesn't stop Dad from knocking profusely once he's finally able to manage upstairs. He's still hurt, he needs to sit down.

"Xion! What the hell is the matter with you lately?"

I slip out of my jacket and toss it to the side before plopping onto my bed. I curl up into a ball in the corner of my bed and hold my old Winne the Pooh plushie close to my chest.

"Fine," Dad continues. "You wanna act like this? You're grounded. Two weeks, until you can act like an adult and tell me what you've been doing so late at night. Don't even think about stepping out of this house. You're only allowed to see Kairi at school, and you come straight home after that."

I hear his heavy footsteps fade into the distance. I wipe any few tears that somehow escaped without my awareness and sniff the emotional baggage up. No need for tears. Tears are for the weak.

I just want to be alone.

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

I'm dreading school tomorrow.

I have no idea what's going to happen. Terra probably knows by now that his wallet is missing and unless I'm lucky enough that he ends up suspecting one of his buddies rather than little ol' me, I'm totally screwed. But come on, me? _Luck?_ Ha!

I've spent the whole weekend inside eating sugary cereal with cold milk. Dad and I haven't spoken a word to each other. I think we're both trying to avoid the other, but when we do just so happen to cross paths in the hallway, we barely acknowledge each other. I've had to render my own father a stranger.

This short time away from prostitution has really allowed me to find my roots. I've been in a nostalgic mood lately—just watching anything that takes me back to the old days. Few people know of my secret obsession with Winnie the Pooh, and by few, I mean Kairi. Not even my own family know I've held a fondness to this retarded bear for this long. It's top secret information.

I hold my favorite Winnie the Pooh plush toy in my arms and sing along meekly to one of my favorite childhood compositions.

 _"D_ eep _in the hundred-acre wood, where Christopher Robin plaaaaays... you'll find the enchanted NEIGH... bor... hood..."_

Don't judge me. It brings me back to a simpler time. A time where the word "dick" wasn't even in my vocabulary, let alone physically in my mouth being submersed by my saliva.

Part of me wants to blame Neku. I seriously had no business losing my virginity in the first place. He turned me into a total nymph and now look at me: a washed up hoe who's probably going to be the talk of the town tomorrow at school.

But if I'm going to be honest, I can't blame anyone but myself. I chose this life, and I've brought on my own mistakes. I guess what happened Friday was only inevitable, but I kept myself in denial, only deluding myself further from the truth.

" _Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh, chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff, he's Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh, willy nilly silly old beaaar..."_

A knock thuds against my door and before I can demand them to go away and leave me alone, I realize the doorknob is already turning. I forgot to lock it the last time I left for a bathroom break. I switch the TV off and throw my Pooh plushie into my closet. I'm sorry, Pooh! I still love your retarded ass!

I bury my head into my pillow, but keep an eye open to see Shiki open the door with an uncharacteristically worried expression.

"Xion, are you—"

"I wasn't doing anything! I told you that I threw my Pooh bear out years ago!" I answer frantically.

"What?"

"No, _you're_ a dork!"

"I was... just gonna ask if you were hungry." She points her thumb behind her. "I just made dinner."

"...Oh. Well, uh, no. I'm not hungry. And can't you ever wait for me to respond before you just barge in here?"

She rolls her eyes. "I knew you were gonna tell me to go away like you've been doing to everybody this whole weekend." Shiki takes a seat at the edge of my bed and places a hand on my ankle. "Stop being emo and eat something. You've locked yourself in here for almost two days."

"I'm _not_ hungry."

She pauses for a moment and turns around, placing both hands into her lap, tapping her left foot. This is the part where you're supposed to leave, right?

"What happened?" she asks. Guess not.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You realize how obvious it is you're lying?"

"Nothing happened, I'm just—I'm tired, okay? I'm tired of what we do. Maybe you can handle it, but I'm not sure."

She frowns. "You got taken advantage of, didn't you?" I don't respond and clutch my pillow harder. "By who? I'll call up some girl friends and kick his ass right now."

"I don't think you wanna do that."

She sighs.

"It's fine," I continue. "It's over. I'll deal."

"Xion, I told you from the moment when we first started months ago that it wasn't going to be easy. Remember what you said? 'You worry too much'," she says while mocking my voice.

"I know what I said..."

Shiki places a hand on my leg. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I know I haven't been the best sister... but I still care about you. And you're worrying me."

It's not her fault for my mistakes. I'm the idiot who let herself get caught up in that mess. I'm not too sure what she's apologizing for.

She exhales. "Anyway, are you sure you're not hungry?"

I nod, before stuffing my face deeper into my pillow. I really just want to be myself right now. Shiki seems to take the hint and the bed loses weight. My door shuts and I immediately leap out of my mattress to lock it. No more unexpected interruptions for my Winnie the Pooh pity party. I line my back up against the wall and slide down into a sitting position, hugging my legs and squeeze my head into my arms.

What a tangled web we weave.

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

I think I might have lucked out.

While droning out of Mr. Nomura's daily lecture of literature in AP English, my eyes are glued to the empty seat in the far left-hand corner in the back. Terra is absent. I puked this morning because I was so afraid of how he would approach me this Monday. Great, now I wasted my breakfast for nothing.

"Ms. Spades!"

"AGH!" I place a hand over my thumping chest. My squeal turns heads from every direction, including a concerned Roxas and Kairi. Can everybody just keep their fucking pity to themselves?

"Earth to Xion?" Mr. Nomura says hesitatingly. "I called on you for not paying attention in class and you were still lost in contemplation."

"S-S-S-Sorry, I-I, uh..." I tuck some hair behind my ear and tap my foot hectically. Why is it so cold in here? I stuff my hands into the crease of my thighs and lower my head. "Wh-What was the question again, dude?"

He pauses for a moment. "Are you feeling alright? You don't look too peachy."

God, am I a damsel in fucking distress to these assholes? Why does everybody feel the need to pity me like I can't handle myself? "I feel fantastic, thank you. Now can you ask the freaking question before I lose my patience?"

Everybody stares in slight shock. What, did I grow an extra head?

"What?!"

They turn back around awkwardly with whispers of apologies, though I can hear a few trading insults on my particularly bitchy mood today.

"Xion," Mr. Normura says. "Maybe you should step outside in the hallway for a second and just take a deep breath."

"Fine. Whatever." I don't want to be in this shithole, anyway. I shoot up from my seat and drape my bag over my shoulder before marching out of the classroom, ignoring Mr. Nomura's protest for me to keep my things near my desk, and slam the door behind me.

The few stragglers in the hallway spare me brief expressions of perplexity. I really do not like being the victim of superficial inspection. Mind your own damn business, will you? No one seemed to care about me before. Now all of a sudden I'm some sort of beacon for sympathy? Or is it apathy? At this point, I don't even know anymore.

A hand lightly grazes my shoulder. "Xio—"

"Back off!" I whip my hand around ready to pummel whichever asshole saw it fit to take advantage of me in my state of agitation, but it's only a certain blue-eyed blond and he catches me by the wrist before I do anything I would've regretted two seconds later.

"Nice to see you too?"

I snatch my hand away. "What do you want, Roxas?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes, you've come to send your condolences to poor, pathetic little Xion since she's incapable of handling her own independence, right?"

"That's not how I would have worded it, but... yeah."

I'm already fed up with this conversation. So, I'm just gonna go.

"Hold on." And if it wasn't predictable enough, he restricts me by taking hold of my wrist. "I know you like to act like you're afraid to let anyone know what's going on with you, or that you can't get close to anyone, but seriously, it's getting old now. You can stop the charade. Just tell me what's going on with you."

"Let go of me."

"You promise you won't run away?"

"Let. Go. Of. Me."

He hesitates, but slowly unravels his fingers from my wrist. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he speaks up again.

"Kairi is worried too. She was actually about to come running after you, but I told her and Mr. Nomura that I'd handle it. So, if you don't wanna do it for me, then do it for her, okay?"

"Do _what_ for her?" I face him with a glare. "Why should I have to do _anything_ for _anybody_?"

He raises his hands defensively and takes a step back. "H-Hey now, heh heh, don't kill me over it, alright?"

I sigh and allow my shoulders to drop.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, okay? Everything's great." I bite my lip.

He crosses his arms. "You know I don't believe that for one second."

I keep my eyes focused on the marble floor below.

"Xion." He gently lifts my chin until we're eye to eye. He rests a hand on my cheek, lightly caressing my face as if marveling at my inner beauty. I stare into his eyes and detect what I can only interpret as latent affection buried deep within his ocean blue optics. I feel myself melting at his very touch. "I just want you to know, that... you look... awful."

I guess I shouldn't have expected anything more from a self-proclaimed troll. "I hate you." With the mood ruined, I give him a scowl and tear my face away from him while stomping down the hall. He catches up to me with his aggravating laughter ringing in my ear.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he says through chuckles. "Come on, I'm just trying to cheer you up. Admit it, you were totally into me."

"Was not."

He smirks, as if not believing a word I say. I should probably stop denying it before embarrassing myself any further. "But seriously, you don't look so hot."

I notice my half-assed ensemble of an oversized pink sweater and baggy sweats. My hair is most likely a hot mess too, since I didn't even touch it this morning. "Well, excuse me for not being eye candy every day."

"It's not that," he insists. "You're just normally well dressed, that's all. I'm not used to you looking like... _this._ " He zips it for a moment when I don't respond and I get to relish in glorious silence. "So, where we headed?" Of course, not for long.

" _We_ aren't going anywhere. _You_ are going to go back to class. _I'm_ getting the hell out of here."

"And where are you gonna go?"

"Don't know, don't care. Just anywhere but here."

"Then maybe I can tag along."

"No."

"No?"

"You'd risk getting in trouble just to hang out with me?"

"Sure. I'm feeling adventurous."

I squint at him suspiciously.

"Uh, food on my face?"

"Why do you always talk to me?"

He looks to the ceiling, as if it held his answer. "I don't know. I just think you're interesting."

"Sure you do." I shake my head. "You don't want to have sex, yet you're always bugging me as if you're actually interested in me as a person."

He chuckles. "You make it sound like a bad thing."

"It's just _weird. Nobody_ cares about who I am. It's always just been about my body. So, what the hell makes you so different? Why won't you just tell me what you want?"

He pouts. "I don't want anything from you. The only thing I want from you is to trust me."

"And why should I trust you?"

He rubs the back of his head when he can't come up with a solid answer.

"Goodbye, Roxas." I press forward into the outdoors and I don't look back.

Roxas doesn't follow.

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

I take a deep breath. "I think it's time you knew the truth."

"Okay..." Mom says a bit hesitantly. Dad watches intently from the other side of her hospital bed.

I twiddle my thumbs. "You guys are probably always worried about me, and where I go, or how I'm able to put money on the table to make ends meet..."

Their expressions are cold, not budging a single inch. I gulp to salivate my overly dehydrated throat.

"S-Sorry, this isn't easy for me to do."

"Don't worry, Twin." Mom places a hand over mine. "No matter what, we'll support you."

With a reassuring sigh of relief, I nod in response. Still, that doesn't make this much easier and the tension still drives through the airwaves relentlessly, especially when looking at Dad's stern face. But I can't deal with the pain anymore. I have to tell them the truth.

But what will the truth bring? A progression of trust or great pain? It can go either way. There really isn't an in-between. It's left or right. Black or white. But it's too late to back out now.

I take a deep breath. "The truth is... I... I haven't exactly been daughter of the year, and... God, uh... I... I've been going behind your back..."

Dad's eyes seem to grow more wicked at every word. Mom looks like her eyes are beginning to welt. Please, stop. Oh god, stop.

"...I've been, using my body—for profit. I-I don't really work at Shoyu Shoyu. That was a lie. The truth is that I've done nothing but whore myself out in return for fifty to a hundred bucks a piece. I'm sorry for lying to you, but there just didn't seem to be an alternative. I can't work normal jobs... like normal people. I'm just... no use, I guess."

I sigh, finally having gotten that off my chest. Though, I'm afraid to open my eyes. Unfortunately, I have to do the inevitable and peer an eye open to see the results.

Mom has a hand over her mouth and the tears stream down her cheeks. Dad sighs, before shouting in a bipolar fit of rage and kicking one of the chairs over. "Damn it! I should've known!"

"Oh my god," Mom weeps. "My own daughter..."

No. No, no, no! No! It's happening. It's actually happening. My worst fear, right before my very eyes. It's over now. I can't take it back. They know what I've done. I can feel their shame and disappointment oozing from their propensity of rage and sorrow.

"Can't believe this," Dad continues, placing his hands on his hips, not wanting to face either one of us. "This is un-fuckin'-believable. My own damn daughter is a whore. Damn it!"

Mom bawls her eyes out, burying her eyes into her hands. Dad marches past the desk and yanks me out of my seat by the arm. "Do you know how much trouble you've caused us?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

He tosses me into the wall and I drop to my knees. "Ngh! I-I'm s-sorry!"

"Do you understand, Xion?" he asks, with an unrelenting madness perverting his rational. "Do you understand what this means? You could be pregnant. You could be fuckin' infected. You think hospital bills aren't already expensive enough as it is?! Say something, Xion! You were big and bad enough to do it, now you're all quiet?"

I don't know what to say. I'm speechless. I can't believe this is actually my reality right now. Seriously, what do I say to that? Of course I knew the risks, but it didn't stop me.

"No daughter of mine is a whore." He tugs me up by my shirt and grips my throat with his bare hand. "No daughter of mine is going to be a filthy whore!"

"OH MY GOD!"

Chest heaving, chest heaving. Sweat on my forehead. Calm down, calm down. Calm down. Breathe. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. Just a nightmare. It's okay. Breathe. It's okay. You're okay.

You're okay.

You're okay.

You're okay...

No...

No, I'm _not_ okay.

I'm not okay.

Dear god, what is what wrong with me?

I am _so_ not okay.

Oh my god. Can't stop crying. I feel so weak. The tears won't stop. What is this? Why am I crying? I _never_ cry.

Can't stop. It's too painful. Can't hold it in any longer.

My phone rings. I check the Caller I.D.

 _ **The bae Kairi…**_

Should I answer? I've been ignoring so many of her calls and text messages. What do I even say to her? Why is she calling all of a sudden?

I pick up the phone. "H-H-H-H-Hel-l-lo?"

"Xion? You _actually_ picked up this time?" I sniff, reaching for some tissues to tend to my runny nose. "Xion, are you... are you... crying?"

I sniff. "N-N-No...!"

She doesn't say anything for a moment. "I'm coming over." She hangs up.

Coming over? It's two in the morning. It's a ten-minute walk from her house.

What's happened to me? Why am I so weak all of a sudden? Why can't I stop crying? If Kairi wasn't bluffing, she'll see me crying. I'm not supposed to cry; I'm supposed to be strong. But how can I be strong when I'm so alone?

It's my fault. I'm always pushing everybody away, even the people who are trying to help. I'm so fucking selfish. I deserved everything I got from Terra and his friends. I'm a horrible daughter. And no matter what, I'm already a terrible mother no matter how far off in the future that may be. I'm just—I don't know! I don't know who I am or why I'm here, damn it!

I hear a knock on my window. Ten minutes can fly by when you're distressed. I can just barely make out Kairi's face through the blanket of dusk. Did this crazy bitch just climb up that tree?

I hurry and open the window before she falls and hurts herself. Damn it, I couldn't stop crying. She looks at me with eyes full of concern, which isn't anything new, but for some reason it makes the tears come harder.

"W-W-Why w-would y-y-y-you c-come all the wa-ay out h-h-here?" I must sound so pathetic right now. Not to mention how I look. I must be a fucking train wreck.

She doesn't say anything. She only takes my hands before enveloping me into a hug. It takes me a second to realize what's going on. My best friend came all the way out here, risking getting in trouble, just to come see me. Why? I've been a horrible friend. I've lied to her, kept secrets from her, pushed her away. Why would she care so much?! I don't understand.

I find the will to hug her back. We don't say anything. My sputtered whimpering seems to be the only audible noise in the midst of our silence. She leads us to my bed and lets me cry it out—this doesn't just have to do with what happened Friday. This has been a long time coming. But Kairi seems to understand and simply rubs my back.

"You're not alone."

That was the only thing she said for the rest of the night.

* * *

This chapter was a really emotional one for me to write. I felt kinda bad while writing it T.T

I really hope this chapter delivered because I felt kinda pressured to write something really good, since everybody was so anticipating to read after the last cliffhanger! I really hope I didn't disappoint! But even if I did disappoint in any way, let me know in a review so that I can get better and improve for next time!

A lot of you guys had some theories on what was going to happen, like if Roxas was going to save her or if there would be some kind of deus ex machina to get her out of it, but nope! It happened! I didn't want to write out a full scene of it because I figured that would be a little gross and way too graphic, so I just wrote a little snippet of it in the beginning just so you guys get an idea for what it might have been like for Xion.

I feel like I've updated this one relatively fast this time around, at least in comparison to my usual hiatus lol but I'm happy to get this chapter out, I really like the way it turned out and more importantly, I really really really hope you guys like how it turned out too!

So many of you guys have been leaving me such wonderful reviews and comments, it really inspires me to write when you guys say something as simple as you love the story, or you relate to it, or that it's one of your favorites. Seriously, I'm sure you guys may not understand, but I write on this site for YOU guys, not for me, so when I look over all of the beautiful feedback I've received, it makes me feel like I'm doing something right, so thank you to everyone who's been reading, supporting, and consistently reviewing this whole way through :)

Guest response time! (I swear, this story gets sooo many guests)

 **Guest #1:** Yes, I do understand that this is rape. And yeah, those are pretty good things to worry about. And as far as injuries go, she has a few marks on her shoulder but she came out of it relatively unscathed. I didn't picture it as them being super crazy violent with her or anything, it was more like, as long as she cooperated and did what she was told, they wouldn't do anything too brash as far as trying to seriously hurt her goes. But those bruises on her arm are supposed to indicate that she did attempt to fight back at one point, maybe towards the beginning when it all started, but then deemed it not worth it and just got it over with. Also understand that this didn't go on continuously. She did get breaks in between.

 **Guest #2:** Yeah, condoms aren't exactly a guarantee from anything :/

 **Guy:** Well like I said, the original scenes in that chapter weren't really even attempts at me doing lemons (except the Squall scene which I unfortunately had to discard T.T), it was just her describing how good or bad the sex was. Looks like scenario 1 happened, unfortunately. Scenario 2 would have made the cliffhanger a complete tease. Scenario 3 was actually a possibility and it actually still kinda happened in this chapter, but she still had to endure the torment. And scenario 4 would have just been unrealistic lol I think people would brand Roxas as more of a Gary Stu than he already is XD

Some of these guests I can't tell whether or not they're the same person, so if I respond to you twice, it's just because I'm honestly not sure.

 **Guest #4:** I just got rid of a couple scenes. I got rid of the Squall scene and cut out a lot of dialogue to make it a 6,000 word chap instead of a nearly 9,000 word chap.

 **Guest #5:** I'm glad you like the Sex Sells cover photo! Summoner is bae x.x

 **Guest #6:** Omg, I love reviews like this! As a creator, they make my day T.T Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! I hope the story doesn't fail to disappoint from here on forward!

 **Guest #7:** Yeah, also to Guest #6, he/she's right. If you blackmail someone into having sex, that's just plain rape.

 **Guest #8:** While I'm sure Xion would like to press charges, she's too afraid of them hurting her brother. Even if they won in court, Terra would still have his boys get the jump on Sora and tell him about what she's been doing all this time, so she figured it wasn't worth the risk.

 **Guest #9:** I'm happy you're loving the story so far! I hope this chapter delivered!

Woo!

And I forgot to give all of my reviewers a big thanks last chapter for leaving reviews, so I'm gonna do that now haha

Big thanks and love to **ForsakenXIII, La Esmerelda GypsyWitch, SummonerDagger88, every Guest, The Fool's Arcana, Snow . x. Fairy (you got my PM thanking you for your review, right?), Sinful Serenata, Dream Fighter75, Silverw0lf-sama, FoehammerE419, Escape the Shadow, and tallicaJr** for all of your amazing reviews! Seriously, each and every one of you keep me writing T.T

Please leave a review! I would REALLY appreciate it!

 **#bananasquad**


	11. Fun

**Chapter 11**

This must be the ultimate test of patience and courage.

I can _feel_ his glare of death burrowing bullet holes into the back of my head. I sneak a peek at my phone under the desk. Only five minutes 'til freedom. I tap my fingernails against the desk anxiously.

"Xion."

I sputter a nonsensical mess at the sudden sound of my name, leading to the amusement of some of my classmates. Nomura looks at me cautiously—probably because of the way I lashed out at him the other day, which I admittedly regret.

"Are you okay, Xion?"

"Yeah, no—totally." I tuck my quivering hands in between my thighs.

"Okay, well..." he says, looking unconvinced. "Make sure you pay attention, okay? I really don't want you falling any more behind."

I never should have taken that stupid wallet. I guess impulsive decisions are unavoidable when you're not thinking clearly. I'd give it back—if I hadn't forgotten it. Besides, with his money missing, he'd still be angry with me.

I know I'm going to regret this, but... I shift my gaze to the back and—yep! Turn back around! At a mere peek, Terra shot a look _directly_ at my eyes with no inclination of subtlety. That gave me enough incentive to figure out what my next move will be when this stagnant bell signals the end of the school day.

Run, run, and run like hell.

After an eternity of waiting through the most elongated five minutes of my life, the bell finally rings for our departure. I cram my items into my bag and scurry into the hallway, trying my best to ignore the evil eye from Terra as he speaks into his phone.

Fellow classmates flood into the hall from all directions. I maneuver through the claustrophobic sea of traffic and bump into a few unfamiliar faces. I stammer out a few messy apologies and resume my sloppy getaway.

Daring to peer behind, I spot him in the short distance calmly stepping out of Mr. Nomura's classroom with his bag slung over his shoulder. Let's just say I've got some incentive to pick up the pace.

Before I can get too far, I crash into another body thanks to my inconsistency at looking straight ahead.

"Sorry, I-I totally wasn't—"

I halt my breath upon noticing Seifer Almasy towering before me with an almost sadistic grin alongside his notorious partner-in-crime, Raijin. "Oh, it's no problem at all."

Swallowing a huge lump down my throat, I nod to them apologetically before trotting past. But just as I feared, and predicted, they follow behind.

"Where you goin'?"

If anyone asks, I didn't hear him. I slip into the girl's restroom before either of them can protest.

"We'll be waitin', you know!" Raijin yells as I lock myself into a stall.

Alrighty, then. Now that I am officially alone with no one else occupying any other stalls at the moment...

BLAARGGHH.

This is getting old. I collapse to my knees and dump this morning's breakfast into the toilet. Undigested eggs and pancakes swirl in a thick basin. I slam my head on the toilet seat, lacking the strength or will to care about the plentiful number of asses and bodily fluids that have resided on it, and use my free hand to flush it down.

This is it. End of the line. Game over, man. Game over. Farewell, my loyal subjects. It seems the era of Xion Spades will be naught but a legendary tale of defiance that ended in a cruel tragedy.

What am I thinking? Get a grip, girl. Take deep breaths. Happy place, happy place, happy place. Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh, chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff.

Despite my therapeutic meditation, my anxiety wavers only slightly. Seifer, Rai, and presumably Terra are probably waiting for me as we speak. I could make a break for it, but that would attract too much attention. I would really like to just get out of this building without the eyes of scrutiny catching me in an unwanted spotlight, thank you very much.

Friday made me realize I need to be more cautious. I've been very passive about my safety and I'm fortunate to have made it as far as I have without being taken advantage of. Just being a woman alone puts you at risk. With that in mind, I went ahead and got something for these specific instances. But I can't do it on school grounds, so my only option is to escape.

Time for Plan B.

I whip out my phone and scroll down my contacts before selecting the appropriate name. I don't really like calling others asking for favors, but I'm desperate.

"Hey! What's up?"

"Kairi, I need your help. I'm so totally screwed."

"What?" She groans. "What did you do _this_ time?"

"Um, long story. Just know that I'm in the third floor bathroom with two, possibly three guys waiting outside for me and I am _freaking_ the fuck out."

"Now? You know I have work today."

"I'm _begging_ you! Look, I'll treat you to paopu smoothies for the rest of the month."

"This isn't one of your business thingies?"

"Do you really think I would be calling you in fear for my life if it was?"

She lets out a whiny grumble. "Fine."

Oh, thank God. "Thank you so much!"

"On _one_ condition."

I should've known. There's always a catch, isn't it? "What is it?"

"You _have_ to let me get you an application for Shoyu Shoyu, and you have to honestly _try_ to get employed."

I had a feeling she was going to say something along those lines. Rest assured that sex will be out of the equation for a good while, but I'm not sure if I'm in the best place emotionally or mentally to manage a job. "But—"

"No buts!" she interrupts. "It's that, or no deal."

"Well, then no deal."

"Oh gee, looks like my bus is gonna be here soon. I guess I better head off to work before I'm late."

"'Kay. Bye."

She huffs irritatingly. "Well, I sure hope you'll be able to get out of your little predicament. By yourself. Defenseless. Without my protection."

"I'll figure something out."

"...I hate when you do that. You're supposed to give in when I blackmail you."

"That's kinda the point."

"Oh, will you just take the damn application already?!"

In hindsight, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Potentially taking a job at Shoyu Shoyu trumps getting my ass handed to me by Terra. "Fine, I'll take the stupid application. Just hurry up and help me."

"Yay!" Kairi squeals excitedly over the phone as if she just got accepted into Harvard University. "Also, bump the paopu smoothies up from one month to the rest of the year."

"Damn it, Kairi!"

"Okay, okay. Calm your boobs." She sighs. "I'm right down the hall from you, anyway. Walk out as fast as you can on my signal."

She hangs up before I can ask what her "signal" even entails. Great. Just be more vague about it, why don't you? I gather my belongings, freshen up, and cautiously stand next to the door listening closely. After a few moments, I hear Kairi's voice from the other side.

"Whoa, w-w-wh-wh-whoaaaa! Look out!"

A loud crash and what sounds like numerous books crashing to the ground and papers fluttering through the air becomes audibly muffled through the wood.

"Oh, goodness! I'm such a klutz!" she says.

"Whoa, Kairi, are you alright?" Terra asks.

"Yeah. Just butter fingers, I guess. I don't know what got into me."

"No worries, we'll help you out," Seifer offers.

"Aww, as long as it's not a bother?" Kairi asks innocently. "Thanks a ton, you guys. I've just been so tense lately. I can barely focus, especially with my parents practically keeping me prisoner at home. Sometimes, I just feel like I need to _get the hell out of there_ more to relieve some of this stress."

I think that's my cue. I carefully peer out to find the boys hunched over with their backs facing me. They pick up the scattered books and papers. Kairi has a feigned, but convincing embarrassed smile. She tosses the façade aside for a sharp moment while they're not paying attention to gesture me to leave immediately.

No need to tell me twice. I walk past trying my best to remain as inconspicuous as possible, but I can't deny the subtle urgency in my strut. The hallways are clearing up, giving me a better view of my path. I hurry downstairs before hearing a voice call below near the second floor.

"Xion!" It's Isa. "Going somewhere?"

I pick up the pace and rush down to the main lobby, keeping a wary eye on Isa's glare all the while.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" I stop before Yuna and the rest of her little clique. Of course Tidus would be with her with that damn smirk of his. Is anybody really surprised at this point?

"Afternoon, Xion." He winks. "You look nervous."

"Let's just say it's been a long ass day..." I notice Isa making his way down the steps.

Yuna crosses her arms as she eyes me up and down disgustingly. "Nice outfit," she says with obvious sarcasm.

I guess I can't blame her. Even I cringe when I review my hastily contrived ensemble of my brother's oversized grey hoodie and baggy sweatpants. "Uh, thanks." Hey, at least it's comfy.

"I was just looking for you," Tidus says. "I think you have something belonging to my buddy, Terrra. We were just hopin' you could give it back to him."

"Ugh, so now she's a thief too?" Paine asks, rolling her eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I gently push them aside and head for the exit.

I stop in my tracks to spot Dilan right outside the door with his bulky arms crossed. His stoic visage won't budge an inch.

Isa stands next to Tidus, his elbow perched on his shoulder.

Terra, Seifer, and Rai finally catch up to me as they jog down the stairs. I'm surrounded.

Pray for me.

"Hey, guys. I, uh, see that you're all here." Fuck! "So, how's everyone's day been?"

"Fantastic," Terra says dryly, cracking his knuckles as he approaches. "You wouldn't have happened to see an orange wallet hanging around, have you?"

"Pshhhh, _moi?_ Of course not. I mean, I've got my own wallet right here, but unfortunately it's been losing a lot of weight lately. Times are tough these days, am I right?" I laugh, trying to ease the tension, but nobody even cracks a smile. I gradually come to a stop and clear my throat. "Speaking of which, do you guys think I should lose some weight? I feel like I'm starting to get a little bloated—"

Terra cuts me off by placing his hand on my shoulder. "Let's chat somewhere more private."

Sucking in my breath, I do my best to don a fake smile. With plenty of other students passing by, ignorant to the passive aggressive implications, we maintain an appearance of charitable company. Though, I'm scared to think of what Terra would do if no one else were around.

"Sure, we c-can do that," I stutter. "I mean, why not? Right?"

He smiles broadly. "Great. Let's talk in the back." He wraps an arm around my shoulder and I instinctively shrink from his touch. "Coming?" he asks, referring to his friends.

Tidus shakes his head. "Not today, dude. Just so happens that I'm taking my Yunny out today." He rubs noses with Yuna, and she eats up his bullshit like cotton candy.

I see what they're doing. Yuna, despite the severely flawed bitch that she is, is still a feminist. We might hate each other's guts, but she would never approve of whatever they've got planned up their sleeve. But she also wouldn't believe me if I told her. They must be using Tidus to get her out of the picture and away from the scene.

"Rest of you?" Terra asks.

To my dismay, they nod. Before I know it, Terra leads me into the back hallways where most of the music and art rooms are located with his posse following closely behind.

My heart pounds against my chest, as if desperately attempting to escape from its cartilage prison. I've spent the past four days trying to heal from sores and aches swelling through my violated body, enduring sleepless nights, and crying my bloodshot eyes out thanks to the misery these creeps gave me. And now I'm going to have to deal with it again? Is this another impending circle of sexual assault? Or are they going to beat me halfway to death?

Terra high-fives and waves to his friends as we make our way down the hallway with charismatic charm. His smile feigns sincerity well enough that it could even fool me if I didn't know any better. His popularity is disgusting, yet intimidating. It's like he's showing me his power; he virtually owns the school. There's nothing I can do. My cries for help wouldn't be acknowledged. He's got everyone in the palm of his hand thinking he's such a great guy, and they don't even know it.

I can't do this. _Never_ again. Calling Kairi is out of the question with Terra and his friends hounding over my shoulder like wolves. Looks like I'm on my own, and since we're going somewhere "private," it gives me the opportunity to unleash my secret weapon. I keep my hand close to my bag.

Terra opens the emergency back door and the piercing sunlight nearly blinds me. It's an open field designed exclusively for Twilight High. Lots of people come here with friends to eat lunch together. It's about ten feet above the sidewalk. Benches line up near the outskirts along with wooden tables; there's a swing set, and a wide grassy field where casual sporting events occur.

There's some steps that lead into the sidewalk below and beyond that is a nearby alleyway. It looks like that's where we're headed.

"Check if the coast is clear," Terra commands.

Before they get a chance to follow their orders, I dig my elbow straight into Terra's gut; he hunches over and I whip out some pepper spray and go to _town_ on his eyes. I internally laugh maniacally as he howls an embarrassing shriek of agony.

So it's not the most original form of escape. In fact, this is downright cliché. But it works.

The other three take notice and rush towards me. I'm able to get a shot at Seifer in the eyes and duck Rai's attempt to nab my upper body. That was close! Since I'm still outnumbered, I take the chance to break for it.

That is, until a hand tugs at my ankles and send me crashing into the ground. It's Terra with a hand over his eyes, doing whatever he can to keep me put. "Give me back my fucking wallet!"

I kick at his forehead relentlessly until he finally let's go and stumble to my feet, but before I can run for it, Rai grabs me from behind.

"I got 'er, y'know!"

I stomp on his foot. He roars in pain and his grip weakens. Since the hoodie is so oversized, I'm easily able to slip out underneath it, leaving me in a light grey tank top.

I run as fast as my legs can carry me and turn around the side of the building, heading for the front. I should be safer there, since the campus is practically a block party once the school day ends, despite the security guards and staff members telling us to go home.

Still, I have to get away from school grounds as fast as possible, but I don't have money for the bus. And something tells me that these guys won't give me a ride. I turn around to find Dilan and Rai running after me, though they seem to slow down the closer I get to the front. I feel like I'm in some kind of spy movie.

I make a deft turn around the corner and bump into someone. Again. The anonymous figure drops their keys. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. I-I wasn't looking where I was going," I apologize.

"It's quite alright."

Wait a second... I recognize that accent. We look at each other with mutual surprise.

"You?" we eerily synchronize. "What are you doing here? I asked you first! Stop copying me! No, _you_ stop copying _me!_ "

I don't have time for this foolishness. Dilan and Rai are drawing nearer every second.

"Alright, one bar of sea-salt ice cream for yours truly, and one mint chocolate chip for the lady," Roxas says, approaching us with ice cream in each hand. He freezes. "Awkward..."

"So, uh, where you guys headed?" I ask, frantically peeking back to see how close those two numskulls are.

I notice them exchange a brief glance. "Uh, we were just gonna go grab a bite. I just needed to satisfy Nam's sweet tooth before she bites my head off. Trust me, she's not pretty when she's on a diet," Roxas explains, ignoring her glare. He then smiles. "Hey, you should tag along. It'd be fun."

"Sure, sure, I'm free—let's get moving!" I gently shove them forward while keeping an eye on Dilan and Seifer.

"Whoa wait, seriously?" Roxas asks. "I was half-expecting you to just blow me off like the past few days."

"Now, why would I do that?" I check behind me desperately. "I've just been a little busy, that's all."

"Uh, Xion..." Naminé says. "The car is that way." She points the opposite direction.

Son of a bitch.

Whatever. It's not like they can touch me now that I'm with people anyway. I turn the other cheek and hook my arms with Roxas and Naminé, much to their confusion, as we pass Dilan and Rai. They stand there like idiots and I stick my tongue out at them. That's right. I'm untouchable, bitches.

We achieve some distance from school grounds and cross the street. "Xion? Are you feeling okay?" Roxas asks.

"Oh yeah, I'm great, fantmazing, spectastic. Why do you ask?"

"You've seemed a little off the past few days..."

"What are you talking about? I'm fine, just a little tired."

"Really," he says sarcastically. He stops and takes hold of my hands. "So, you're saying you haven't noticed that you've been shaking this whole time? That you've been stuttering in class, dozing off all the time? Look, if something happened then—"

"No!" I exclaim. "I mean, no. Nothing happened. Everything is fine. Let's just get out of here."

Judging by his skeptical look, I really need to get better at lying. Nonetheless, he leads us to his blue Camry, parked on the sidewalk. Roxas and Naminé slip into the front while I crawl into the back. It's awkwardly silent aside from seat belts clicking into place. I keep to myself and cross my arms.

For whatever reason, Naminé happens to be the one driving. I decide not to question it and gaze out the window instead. It's a quiet ride, aside from the car engine and the occasional pothole making us bounce up from our seats.

Roxas turns around, giving me a pouty expression. I try to ignore him hoping that he'll eventually just turn around and leave me alone, but he's a force to be reckoned with. I sigh and face him. "Yes?"

"Did you know that hyphephilia is a fetish where people get aroused by the scent of animal skin, fur, or leather?"

Oh my god. I give him a monotone expression. Where is he going with this? I bet it's something stupid and unfunny. "No."

"I have hyphephilia." He doesn't break eye contact, looking as if he's about to cry. "And I would greatly appreciate you taking off that top off right now so that I can stroke it against my rock hard cock before it bursts and ruins a perfectly clean pair of my Bob the Builder undies."

As I said, something stupid and unfunny. So why can't I repress a faint smirk? I try my best to hide it from him. Despite his odd and disturbed sense of humor, I can't determine whether or not I'll be amused. But if let him know that, he'd never let me live it down.

Naminé punches him on the arm.

"Ow! What?" he says, chuckling.

"Stop being weird. Can't you see she's not in the mood?"

"Hey, I can't try to cheer her up? Everyone needs a little bit of randomness every once in a while. Keeps you on your toes."

"So..." I catch Roxas' attention. "Why is she driving your car, anyway?"

Roxas rubs the back of his head. "Uh, long story..."

"You want the short story?" Naminé asks, grinning from the rear view mirror. "He got his car towed and asked me to pick it up for him."

"Is that why you're here?"

She pouts, but returns her attention to the road. "Not happy to see me?"

"I'll just say it's not the word I'd use to describe how I'm feeling."

"Then what's on your mind, lassie?" Roxas asks in a Scottish accent. "Something is obviously bothering you. But I can't help if you don't open up. And I'm not talking about your legs." He laughs. "Ooh, shots fired!"

"Fuck off." I'm getting really sick of this kid. I'm starting to think he isn't worth the trouble.

"I see," he says with half a smile, as if he just deduced something. He turns around and leans into his seat, resting his hands against the back of his head. Did I miss something?

"You givin' up already?" Naminé asks. "That ain't like you."

"She has the right to clam up if she wants to. That's her business, I guess."

I squint at him evilly. "Who the hell do you think you are? Why are you always talking down on me like I'm just some kid in need of your guidance?"

I hear Roxas mumble something, but I can't quite make it out.

"If I say I'm fine, then I'm fine. I don't need, or _want_ your help. I can handle myself."

"Of course," he says oddly cheerfully. "You can do everything on your own, Xion. You don't need help from a nosy jackass such as I and you are totes badass. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

I huff and lean back in my seat. It's no fun when he doesn't argue back. Though, I think he's making fun of me. "Yes. Thank you."

"Good. Now that _that's_ outta the way, it's B&W time!"

Naminé pulls into the parking lot of B&W's, a restaurant famous for its high quality chicken. We exit the car and Roxas uses his fingers to turn my lips upwards into an awkward smile.

"We're gonna turn that frown upside down! Whether you like it or not."

He lets go and my lips immediately droop back down to its previous frown.

He sighs. "Yeah, that's the spirit." But even so, he places a hand on my shoulder. "Come on. Let's eat. And hopefully, nothing bad happens this time."

I guess eating isn't a bad idea. I barely ate anything over the weekend. I'm not particularly hungry, but I skipped out on lunch due to nausea and I threw up my breakfast. I've basically been running on an empty stomach for the past four days.

Maybe just an itty bitty bite or two.

 ** _S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S_**

"Quit hogging the chicken, Xion!" Roxas says.

As soon as our order of fresh chicken tenders drenched in hot barbecue sauce and fries arrived, I had no resistance against my desires to scarf down everything on this heavenly spread of dead birds. This is my seventh tender in a row, and they're not small either. I'm pretty sure my face is decorated in sauce, but I shamelessly lick my fingers anyway.

So, maybe I was a _little_ hungrier than I thought.

Good god, I'm a monster. I might gain a few pounds from this, but honestly, who cares at this point?

"Who taught you table etiquette?" Roxas asks. "George of the Jungle?"

"Shaht Uap!" I say with a mouthful of chicken.

Naminé laughs. I don't really see the humor in this. I'm legitimately hungry, for choco's sake. "That's so gross and yet so awesome. For a tiny little thing, she's got quite the appetite, yeah?"

Roxas shakes his head.

I scarf down my last tender and wipe my face clean. Nothing like a good meal to lift the spirits, even by just a little. And thankfully, I don't see any ex-boyfriends around to ruin the party.

"That was the most ladylike thing I've ever seen," Roxas says.

I feel no need to respond and slouch into my seat. Roxas and Naminé take part in small talk, and I'm forced to bear witness for a whole ten minutes. As soon as it starts getting a little bit too flirty for my taste, mainly due to not wanting to be a third wheel and not because I feel anything - just for clarification, I ask to be taken home.

"Already?" Roxas asks. "You can't leave now. You're our prisoner."

"And I suppose you brought me here to stuff me up so that you could cook me for dinner?"

Roxas turns wide-eyed and leans over to Naminé. "I think she's onto us..."

Naminé shakes her head. "You guys do what you do. I'm gonna go burn some calories!" She shoots from her seat and runs into a back area discarded by a giant cloth as if they're trying to hide something.

"What got into her?" I ask with a quirked brow.

He chuckles. "You don't wanna tag along? We can have a good time."

"A good time?" I just ate some bomb ass food. That is already my definition of a good time.

He stares confusedly. "You've never been to B&W's, have you?"

"Well, if me taking ten minutes to look over the menu to figure out what I wanted didn't clue you in..."

"This is a crime." He rises from his chair. "Surely no one can resist the wondrous childhood spectacle that is B&W's." He extends a hand. "Come, madam! Your journey has only just begun."

I recoil a little. "I'm not sure if I'm interested or scared..."

"You know what you need? You need to have some fun. I don't know what's up with you, or why you've been so down in the dumps, but maybe if you lighten up a little, you'll feel better."

Fun has its place, but there's a certain time for it. I'm not sure if my current mental state would bid the situation appropriate for buffoonery. "I don't know, Roxas..."

He scoffs. "Come on, don't you trust me?"

"Uh... what?"

"Do you trust me?" He smiles, extending a hand.

"Are you... are you quoting Aladdin?"

His cheeks redden slightly. " _No..."_

I smirk, shaking my head. How adorkable. I rise from my seat, keeping my arms crossed. "Fine. I give. Show me this supposed fun you speak of, human."

He takes my hand. "Gladly." He drags me towards the curtain and I try to resist him initially, but I've learned that when it comes to Roxas, resistance is pointless. So I just roll with it. I guess Roxas has a point, lightening up isn't such a bad idea. Not exactly the easiest feat for me when you consider the living hell that has been my entire week, but this could be a nice distraction.

He practically yanks me inside and I take in what looks like the ultimate arcade room. The lighting is neon-themed and I'm surrounded by a multitude of machines and imaginative gimmicks. You got your basic stuff like pinball, basketball shootouts, and motorboat games. But this seems like an arcade on steroids. I wasn't expecting a laser tag area, a roller skating section, and a gigantic trampoline zone. In fact, that's where Naminé currently bounces like a madwoman.

Teenagers, kids, and even some young adults run rampant in various areas. How have I never heard about this?

"What was that about quoting Aladdin?" Roxas places a hand on my shoulder and he presents the arcade as if it's some majestic paradise. "I can show you the world..." he sings.

"Oh my god, Roxas."

"Shining, shimmering, splendid," he continues as he pulls me close enough that our cheeks brush against each other, using a hand to guide me through the grandiose setup. "Tell me, Xion—now why are you so sad with such gloomy eyes? A WHOLE NEW WORRRRRLLD!"

He takes my hands and leads me further inside.

"Hold your breath, it gets better!" Despite how much I'm rolling my eyes, I can't muster the inner strength to fight against a grin. He actually has a pretty decent voice, too. Seriously, is there anything he's not at least half-decent at?

He leads us to the trampoline section. It's a humongous pit where a bunch of kids and teens shamelessly bounce around in an awkward jumble. Naminé is surprisingly agile with her backflips and midair poses.

"Let's jump in," Roxas says. Even he has a spark in his eye that makes him look like a kid again.

"It's ten years too late for that."

He frowns. "Growing up doesn't mean there's no more room for fun. And having fun doesn't make you immature. Put your pride away for once and just live a little bit, won't you?"

"I have priorities, Roxas. Things I could be doing that are productive rather than wasting my time on this pointless trampoli—AIIYYIIIII!"

I scream as if my life were on the line until I come into contact with the limber surface below. I can't keep my balance. It's way too bouncy! I can't even land on my feet, I'm just flopping up and down, waving my arms like a fish out of water. This is beyond embarrassing. I can't even walk around school without bumping into something or someone, now Roxas expects me to maintain balance on a freaking trampoline?

After a terrible sequence of tumbling in midair gracelessly, I finally land on my back with my legs and arms spread. Once the world stops spinning, both Roxas and Naminé's laughter rings from a short distance.

I stagger to my feet, wobbling slightly before finally gaining some balance. I look up to find Roxas giving me a thumbs up, wiping a tear away in the process.

"You are _so_ dead, dude."

He places a hand on his chest. "I can feel my heart pumping blood, so that statement is entirely inaccurate, Miss Spades."

"How the hell do I get out of here?" I spot a ladder over on the far right of the pit, but I'll have to do some pretty swift bouncing to get past all of the other people obstructing my path. But the sooner I get it over with, the sooner I can decapitate Roxas. The thought of bathing in his blood gives me great joy.

With that in mind, I leap towards freedom.

But before I can even land, I'm tackled to the surface. I'm not so much annoyed with the fact that Naminé just intercepted my escape, as I am with the feeling of her humongous breasts pressed against my back. Stupid blonde, she knows what she's doing—trying to show off.

"She ain't goin' nowhere!" Naminé affirms. I struggle, but her grip is pretty tight. She's a lot stronger than she looks.

"Excellent." Roxas clasps his hands mischievously. He sets his shoes aside and dives inside.

"This isn't funny, guys."

"You're right. It's hilarious." Roxas chuckles. "It's high time that Miss Independence finally lost some of her precious dignity."

I curse him under my breath. "If you guys don't let me go, I swear—"

"No can do." He gestures his fingers threateningly. "Let's put a _smile_ on that face," he says with a Heath Ledger impression.

He tickles me all over my abdomen while laughing maniacally at my expense. Though, he gradually comes to a stop when he realizes that I'm not laughing, barely cracking a smile.

"Joke's on you." I'm not even an inch ticklish. There's only one sweet spot that gets me going and only Sora knows. _No one_ else will ever discover it.

"Well," he says. "This turned out differently than I imagined."

"Can you let me go now?"

Roxas rubs his chin for a moment before nodding to Naminé. She lets me go, giving me wing room to dust my body off. "Thank you. Geez. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be waiting for you children back at the table when you're finished."

I hop towards the ladder. I can't take this anymore. Sticking around wouldn't be such a bad idea, but not at the expense of Roxas and his never ending tyranny of a few more feet before I can finally declare freedom.

And then I'm tackled away from the ladder yet again. This time, by Roxas himself.

I push his forehead away, doing my best to resist that stupid grin. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Did you really think we were just gonna let you just leave that easily?" He laughs.

Naminé looks at me from above, though she's upside down from my point of view. "Too right!" she says. "If you wanna leave, then you're going to have to go through us."

I palm my forehead. Roxas chuckles. "You're goin' nowhere."

"Is that right?" I ask, accepting the challenge.

Using the spring of the trampoline to my advantage, I gyrate my body enough to make him lose balance and push him aside. Roxas stumbles and lands on his backside, looking a bit surprised I mustered a way out of his hold.

I stand up, dust my hands, and give him a borderline arrogant smirk while flexing one of my (admittedly) petite muscles. "How'd ya like that?"

He returns the smirk and lunges at me, but I easily flip over him. Don't get me wrong, I'd probably break my neck if we were on solid concrete. But my athletic abilities have been enhanced thanks to the bouncy bounce.

Two arms grapple around my waist and toss me backwards. Before I can even fully reach my feet, Naminé tackles me back down. This time I'm able to manage some strength and tussle right back at her. But she's definitely no pushover. We roll on the ground for a few moments until I'm able to pin her down and I tower before her with maniacal laughter. Take that, you big-titted bimbo!

"Aww, you're so adorable when you're helpless, Naminé."

She struggles, unable to power out of my hold. "Oh, hell. Any day now, Roxas?"

We look over and find Roxas holding up his phone either snapping pictures or recording. He quickly hides it behind his back. "H-Huh? Oh, uh, yeah."

He breaks into a sprint. I quickly release Naminé and run the opposite direction, but Roxas is too fast. He catches me and hikes me up over his shoulders before spinning me around.

"St-ah-ah-p!" I say through the uncontrollable laughter I couldn't repel even if I tried.

He stops and slams me onto my back.

My body gets a little warmed up, and we take a moment to catch our breath. But soon enough, he turns around and grabs my ankle. I'm able to kick him away.

"No!" I say teasingly. "Get away!"

He stops and tilts his head slightly. "Well, would you look at that. Is the world coming to an end? Is tough gal Xion Spades herself _actually_ laughing?"

I freeze. Was I really laughing that much? I guess you don't notice these things too much when you're in the heat of the moment. I was so busy wrestling with them that I had no idea.

But after things settle down, I find that there is indeed a warm and relaxing mirth flowing through me.

"Admit it, you're having fun! Aren't you?" Roxas says.

I scoff. "Am not."

He seems to detect my bluff and crosses his legs. "Then leave. If you're not having fun, I dare you to climb up the ladder. Naminé and I won't stop you."

Operation: S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S. I've been an uncertified teenaged prostitute since February when Shiki gave me the opportunity to join her cause. I was still suffering from a broken heart and our family was falling apart with medical and financial issues. There was no room for happiness.

It's been seven months since then, and for the entire duration, I can't recall having genuine fun. Business came first. It took precedence over joyful distractions. These past couple of days have been the worst; a sudden plummet into a deep depression that felt inescapable. Good god, I was actually sexually assaulted the other day.

But then I look up and see his playful, mischievous, yet sweet smile bound to give me diabetes at some point and all of that bullshit just kinda washes away to whatever currents it came from.

His smile reassures me that everything will be okay.

"Sure, I'll leave."

He looks momentarily surprised before an evident disappointment takes over. Though, he tries to hide it. "Oh, okay." He stands up and offers a hand to help me to my feet.

He turns to head the opposite direction but stops in confusion when I don't let go of his hand.

And then I grin. "Right after I get my payback for you dumping me in here in the first place, you jerk!"

I charge him into the ground and it starts all over again.

 ** _S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S_**

I can shamelessly admit that we ended up wrestling for the next two hours. After the fatigue settled, we decided to call it a day and head back home. We dropped Naminé off at her (surprisingly big and fancy) house fifteen minutes ago. I gave him the directions to my place, and we drove the whole way to Tram Avenue while blasting music that we'd never listen to otherwise and classic Disney hits.

Currently, I clutch my sides, laughing uncontrollably at the priceless sight of Roxas dancing horribly to a cult classic pop track. The image of Roxas using his hands to rub his chest and biting his lip in a failed attempt at looking "sensuous" will forever be burned into my memory bank.

"DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH! AND I NEED YOU. DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH! AND I'LL MISS YOU. DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH. AND NOW I WON... DER...!"

The cringe is too real. "Stop it," I plead through my laughter, heaving for air. "Please, I think you're ruining childhoods of 21st century babies everywhere."

After five more minutes of cringing, laughing, and terrible dance moves, Roxas lowers the volume and we allow the atmosphere to settle. We sit in a comfortable silence. I guess that's a good sign, when you find somebody you can share a peaceful moment with without it being awkward or uncomfortable. I can't speak for him, but judging by his relaxed expression, I'd say he agrees.

"You had fun today. Admit it," Roxas says.

"For the one millionth time, Roxas, I had fun. How many times do I have to say it for you to get it through that thick skull of yours?"

"Sorry. Guess I just get a kick out of seeing you let loose for once. I think today was the first time I saw you genuinely smile." He chuckles. "It was a really pretty smile."

"Yeah, sure." I hate to sound cold, but that kind of affection has always been foreign to me. It's embarrassing. I don't really know what to say to it and it makes me uncomfortable.

But Roxas doesn't seem to mind. That grin seems permanently attached to his face sometimes. "You ought to do it more often. You take yourself way too seriously."

"Well, I think I have a pretty good reason."

He frowns, and I can already feel the tone shift in this conversation. "A reason good enough to sell yourself out?"

"Oh Roxas," I whine. "We were _just_ having a moment. Do you always have to go and ruin it?"

He gazes out the window, gently stroking his chin. "I'm sorry. I guess I just don't understand."

I can't help but sigh. Are we really doing this again? "What is there not to understand? I have to do what's necessary for the sake of my family. We're struggling, Roxas. Do you think I'm going to sit back and watch? This is my way of doing something about it."

He keeps to himself for a while and slouches in his seat with a hand resting on the wheel. "But is this the best way?"

"It's the only way I know," I admit.

"Really?" He scoffs. "So beautiful, yet she wastes her talents on something like this?"

"Roxas, I'm getting really sick of your - wait, what?" Doth my dainty little ears deceive me? Did he seriously just bring up the "B" word again?

He chuckles. "Do I have food on my face?"

"There you go again."

"What?" he asks, this time slightly frustrated. "Are we in some parallel universe where 'beautiful' is suddenly offensive?"

I cross my arms. "Please don't bullshit me with hollow praise."

"I'm _not,_ " he insists playfully. "You're seriously beautiful. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

I turn his rear-view mirror and stare into the reflection of a girl with ocean blue eyes. She stares back, and we both search desperately in hopes of seeing what Roxas sees. But in the end, we can only look away to avoid the embarrassment. "Well, I don't see it."

"Wait, you're blind?"

"I'm being serious. Come on, let's be real. What's beautiful about me? I've always looked like a tomboy. I've never been able to grow my hair out. Makeup, dresses, and skirts give me gas. I could go on..." I turn the mirror away. "The only thing appealing about me _is_ my body."

"See, that's where you're wrong," he says, resting his hand on the side of my face. Oh boy, he's getting a bit too close. Jeez, can we turn the A/C on or something? "You _are_ beautiful, on the inside. How you look doesn't matter. It's who you are as a person."

"Aww, that's a smooth way of telling me that I'm lowkey an ugly tomboy."

"Don't put words into my mouth. I actually got a thing for short hair. You're beyond cute. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

I roll my eyes. "You're just saying that."

"You're right. Want me to be honest?" He scoots over a little closer, looking directly into my eyes. "To tell you the truth, I think you're fucking gorgeous."

Well, shit.

"Stop lying to me," I whisper, barely able to formulate a proper sentence. His lips in particular are very distracting and my mind races with temptation.

"Why would I do that?"

He looks sincere enough. I don't think I've ever seen him look, talk, or act like this before. This is a whole new mysterious side that I wasn't even aware this goofy kid was capable of. His grin is mischievous and inviting. He doesn't waver from eye contact. Holy fuck, where has _this_ Roxas been all my life? My breaths tremble with anticipation as I inch forward, starting to feel the aching desire of wanting his lips pressed up against mine.

And then—my phone rings.

Our eyes shoot open immediately, and we flinch away in a split-second. The sultry atmosphere quickly transitions into awkward and uncomfortable territory.

FUCK. Can't I ever have _something?_ Come on, universe. Help a sister out!

I send him an apologetic smile and begrudgingly answer my phone without even bothering to check the caller I.D. "What?" I ask, trying my damnedest to make the irritation in my tone clear and concise.

"You've got five minutes."

Wait a minute. That voice. That deep, dark, and brooding voice.

I check the caller I.D with wide eyes before turning to my front porch where Dad stands with his phone, sending a sarcastic wave full of obvious passive aggression.

I smile sheepishly and return the wave meekly. "Hi, Daddy..."

"Four minutes and fifty-two seconds." He hangs up and casually enters the house. Looks like I'm getting a scolded tonight. If I'm lucky. I really hope I don't get the much too late "sex talk" from my dad, of all people.

Thanks to that brief interruption, the air just turned awkward. So, so painfully awkward.

"I think that's my cue to go."

He rubs the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah. Not too sure where that was headed, anyway."

"Me neither."

Another instance of silence dominates before his lips curl into a smirk. "You were totally into me, though."

"Was not."

"Is that why your face is all red?"

"My dad just caught me! You think that's not embarrassing?"

"So, you _weren't_ just about to kiss me right there?"

Well, it's not like it'd be the first time. "I was just, I don't know, caught up in the moment. Don't let it go to your head. What? Don't give me that look. It's not funny. Stop patronizing me!"

He laughs. "Admit it, I'm the ultimate panty dropper."

I shake my head. "Please. Not even close."

He smiles. "But you feel better, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Something was bothering you," he says. "Everyone could see it. So, don't even try to deny it. You don't have to tell me what happened. I just want to know if you'll be able to hold your own."

I'd be lying if I promised him that I'm one hundred percent, not by a long shot. But at the very least, I think I'll manage. I rest an assuring hand on his shoulder. "I had a great time."

He sighs, a look of relief taking over. "Good." He lights up with another idea. "We should all hang out together sometime."

"Who's we?"

"Do you really have to ask? You, me, Kairi, and Naminé. I got a buddy who can come with us too, just so I don't have be the odd man out for having a penis."

Oh, fine. Maybe the bimbo isn't as bad as I thought.

"We should hit the beach or something before winter starts up," he continues. "Which is totally not an excuse to see you guys in bathing suits or anything."

I roll my eyes. "I'll hit Kairi up and let her know."

He nods, before turning serious once again. "By the way, I just wanted to let you know that... I'm sorry about what I said. Back at Katakana House. I wasn't being too considerate, was I?"

"Nope," I state bluntly. "Apology accepted."

He quirks an eyebrow. "Is that all you have to say?"

"Yup," I say. "Why do you ask?" He gives a scolding look. What more does he want from me? Okay, okay. I know I wasn't one hundred percent innocent in that affair either. " _Fine,"_ I groan. "I'm sorry, too. I guess."

"You guess?" he asks teasingly, poking my cheek. I slap his finger away.

"You better quit it before I take it back." He smiles innocently. "Technically, I guess I did kind of provoke you. Maybe I let my temper get the best of me a little."

"A little?"

"Don't push it."

He chuckles. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

I blow my bangs out of my eyes and tuck some hair behind my ear. "Yeah."

My phone vibrates and informs me I've just received a text message.

 **Thirty-five seconds. - Dad**

I look to my house and find him peeking out of the window blinds.

I'm coming, I'm coming! Sheesh. Get your thong out of your ass. I exit the car, bite my lip to the chilly evening air, and make my way across the street.

"Hey," he shouts, stopping me in my tracks. "You know what I just realized? We've known each other for two weeks and you still haven't given me your number."

But he is following me on social media. "I'll DM it to you."

I wave him goodbye and he smiles one last time before speeding into the night. It was admittedly a slightly awkward departure, but you know what? I can deal with a little bit of awkwardness. At the end of the day, I'm happy. Hardly remembered what it felt like. It's just been work, work, work for so long that I forgot what it was like to have fun.

And wow, did I seriously almost kiss him?

I unlock the door with the key stashed in my back pocket. Dad gives me the stink eye before heading upstairs. That was easier than I thought it'd be. I'm sure this isn't the end, though. He's just waiting for the right moment and I'm positive I'll be getting a crash course on "responsibility" and "safe sex." You're a few years too late, old man.

On the bright side, for once I can confidently say that I had a good day today. It took my mind away from things and it was nice distraction from certain emotional wounds. There's still a lot of work to do. I still have to figure out how I'm going to handle the Terra situation. I still have to figure out what I'm going to do about money. I don't even know what I'm feeling for Roxas at the moment.

But you know what? I think everything is going to be okay.

Sora thumps downstairs and eyes me up and down with disdain. "Xion, where the hell is my hoodie?"

Oh, damn it.

* * *

Tried to get this out as quickly as I could! :D

This chapter marks this story officially now in the beginning of Act 2! I'm not sure how long the second act will be, but don't think every ten chapters will be an act. It may or may not be depending on how I execute it.

Goodness, the reviews and responses to the last chapter were so awesome! I'm so glad that a lot of you guys got so emotionally invested with what happened last chapter. It was kind of stressful trying to follow that up, and I'm not too sure what the reaction to this chapter will be since it's a pretty big 180 from the last one, but I just felt like I needed to give Xion a break. She went through ever since chapter freaking 4 when Terra punched her, leading all the way up to Chapter 10. So, I decided that for once, Xion is going to have some fun!

I had a lot of fun writing this one! The opening scene went on for a bit longer than I intended, tbh. I planned for the majority of this chapter to be her spending time with Roxas and Namine, but that scene kinda took over. I hope it turned out okay.

I hope this chapter wasn't boring or anything, I know not much happened. But I just wanted to give Xion a break. I think she's been through enough xD besides, this was in the outline and some important things were set up in this chapter.

Thank you so much to all of the follows, reviews, and favs I've received! It means so much to know people enjoy what I do, and it's what motivates me to keep writing! I appreciate it so much! :D

Alrighty, now onto responding to guests! (seriously, I know there's the same guests here but I'm not sure who is who x.x If you're a regular reviewer and also a guest, don't be afraid to give yourself some kind of pen name so I can tell who is different from who, because a lot of the guests seem like the same person tbh lol)

 **Guest #1:** Well, Xion is very independent. She knows Sora wouldn't shun her, but she doesn't like including people in what she feels like are her problems. And I'll speak on the pressing charges matter and suing issue later.

 **Guest #2:** Well it wasn't continuous, like Xion didn't get a break or anything. Like I said, it was more so as long as she did what they said, then they didn't get too crazy. But I did mention that her body is still a bit sore from the whole matter.

 **Request:** Lol uh I don't think I'm gonna do that ^^;

 **Guest #3:** Okay, so I'm pretty sure you're the same guest who's been leaving comments about it being unrealistic that Xion pressed charges against Terra and his friends, right? So I'll just address it here. You say that Xion felt too out of character from her more "logical" personality from previous chapters? Well, actually, Xion isn't as smart as you might think she is, and that was something I've had in mind since the start of the first chapter. If you look over some of the things she's done, you'll notice that Xion is actually horrible at making decisions, intentionally. First off, she believes selling her body to strangers is more beneficial for her than just getting a regular job with Kairi (which will be explained why soon), on top of being a prostitute at the age of 17 while you're still in high school is already pretty questionable already. When she first met Roxas, do you remember when she asked him to go back to his house in hopes to sleep with him? Keep in mind, she didn't know anything about Roxas at this point, she had no idea what kind of person he truly was, what kind of household he came from, if he was on drugs, etc. and just spent the night at a STRANGER'S house, and she was just lucky Roxas happened to be a good guy. Let's say Roxas was as bad as Terra, the same thing could have easily happened. She shouldn't have been trying to go to anybody's house whom she doesn't know in the first place. In the very first scene of Sex Sells, she decides to meet up with Axel in the janitor's closet, and if she got caught, she could have gotten suspended. She wasn't even being cautious or aware when Yuna and her friends jumped her in chapter 2, I think? Which she should have if you knew their history (which will be explained soon) Xion is not very logical, but her narration might fool you into thinking she is. Xion is book smart, like I've shown with her being in Advanced Placement English, but that does not mean she will always make the best decisions. She is still human. But that's okay, it's human nature.

You keep trying to decipher between what's realistic and what isn't, but realistically, we don't always make the best choices for ourselves or others. How dull would it be if Xion got out of trouble every time something bad happens to her? Wouldn't that be a little convenient and boring? In real life, we make mistakes, but the point is to learn from those mistakes. And it's not all that simple. Suing them doesn't guarantee anything, and it could cause a lot of turmoil in the family. Don't forget that she's a prostitute, which is still illegal by the way, on top of the fact that she's an underage high school student who's only a few months from graduating.

Also, you have to understand that Xion is extremely independent. Have you noticed how she practically refuses anyone's help no matter what? That's because she likes to feel like she's doing things on her own, and she hates bringing people into her own mess. Xion, right now anyway, isn't the type of person to file a lawsuit and get lawyers or her family and all of that legal stuff involved, she HATES that kind of stuff. She rather deal with it on her own. She hates having a lot of attention on herself and she feels like her issues are her own business and hers alone, and she has no obligation to tell anybody what's going on with her, and she finds it a bit embarrassing too. That's just who she is as a character. And it's not always that easy for people to come out when it comes to sexual assault. You may not agree with her decision, and I understand, but that doesn't necessarily make it unrealistic. You just have to pay attention to who you're dealing with. Let's say if Xion were more logical, didn't mind receiving help from others, and was more of an extrovert and most importantly was not a hooker, then yeah, you'd have a point. But those actions just don't fit the actual character.

And her telling him COULD be a problem, because Sora would be outnumbered. He could try to avoid it, sure, but he'd still be at risk. Like I said, Xion HATES involving other people in her own messes.

Not that I'm denying that there aren't inconsistencies in this story, because I'm sure there are and I'm constantly editing this story to the best of my abilities, but everything you've pointed out in my opinion seems just be character flaws, which isn't necessarily an inconsistency. Character flaws are intentional because the point of this story (and most) is character development. It's a coming of age story to see how Xion grows into who she will becomes. So, her making poor decisions, making mistakes, messing up, failing, the pain, the hardships, it's all necessary for shaping her for who she is supposed to be. I hope this helped! And thank you for leaving so many reviews! Shows you care :)

Much love and thanks to **tsukuneXmoka, Dream Fighter75, JasmineCrescent all of the guests, Escape the Shadow, The Fool's Arcana, MetallicMedallion, Sinful Serenata, SummonerDagger88, and La Esmeralda GypsyWitch (R. A. Hillis was easier xD)** for all of your reviews! I appreciate it so much! I wouldn't be writing without you guys! :D

Please leave a review, I would appreciate it so much! Did you like it? Hate it? Let me know!

 **#bananasquad**


	12. Warning

**Chapter 12**

"Two servings of soba, coming right up."

I back out from the kitchen with two bowls of soba noodles swimming in a piping hot serving of broth. Please, sweet merciful Jehovah of dining outlets, don't make me screw up. I approach my customers with a forced and anxiety-ridden smile. They wait patiently at the counter; a balding, middle-aged man sits beside whom I can only presume to be his daughter with brunette hair tied into a ponytail. And can I just say she is absolutely freaking adorable?

But I can't be distracted by the cuteness. I have to focus. Eyes on the prize. Stay calm and steady. It's just giving a man some soba noodles, for chocobo's sake. How hard can it be? Yet I can't seem to ignore my trembling elbows and knees threatening to buckle.

Everything seems to go according to plan—that is, until I step on the wet rag I forgot to pick up five minutes ago.

"Nyagh!"

Typical.

I crash into the ground and rub my aching back. It's only a few moments later that I realize I'm empty-handed. I stagger to my feet, using the counter as support, only to find one of the bowls spilled across the older man's clothes and the other atop his shiny round head. His ears burn with rage and I remember why I hate myself. Well. Fuck you too, Jehovah of dining outlets. I didn't believe in your existence anyway.

I cup my hands over my mouth before snatching as many napkins out of the dispenser as quickly as possible. "Oh my god, sir, I am sooo, _sooo_ sorry about that! That was totally on me! I—"

"It's fine," he says, gesturing me to stop. Judging by his tone, I'd say it's anything but fine. His daughter looks on with wide cerulean eyes before erupting into fits of mirth. Well, on the bright side, I was able to make her laugh. But the customer doesn't look very amused. "I believe I'll take my business elsewhere."

With another forced smile (albeit, slightly more painful), I nod frantically. "Y-Yes, I totally understand."

He sets the bowls down and takes his daughter's hand, practically dragging her out of the place with a dark cloud looming over his head. A few customers spread out across numerous booths and tables begin to whisper, eyeing me discreetly through their peripheral.

"That's the third customer this week..."

My boss, Cid, appears next to me with a look of exhaustion.

"Mr. Highwind, I'm so sorry—"

He cuts me off with his hand. "Make sure it don't happen again."

With a gruff, he heads into the back. Three customers and they all fled in the span of a week, singlehandedly by me. That's got to be some kind of world record, right? I hope you see why I never wanted a "regular" job now. This isn't anything new. I've had jobs like this before, and I was just as insufferable. My mental fatigue after what happened nearly two weeks ago isn't helping. Thanks a lot, Terra.

I turn around and jump slightly to find Kairi offering her sympathy in the form of two wide eyes and a faint pout tugging at her lips.

"Jeez! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?"

She wears the signature Shoyu Shoyu attire identical to mines: a white button down, black slacks, and a matching white cap. "I know you can be hard on yourself sometimes, but these things happen."

"I bet you I'm totally on probation."

She smiles sheepishly and places her hands on my shoulders. "Aw, you haven't been doing _that_ bad."

I roll my eyes. "I spilled miso soup, ruining one of our best machines."

Her smile falters slightly as she recalls the recent memory. "Accidents happen."

"I dropped yaki udon into a bucket of dirty water."

She scratches her cheek, her eyes shifting to the ceiling as if searching for some kind of lame excuse. "Well, uh, I totally forgot to tell you that Toby mopped that day and wasn't done cleaning up. So it's partly my fault too!"

"I spilled an entire thing of seasoning over a customer's clothes! Hey, and guess what? Turns out she was allergic."

"Okay, okay! You suck! I get it."

"Hey, you're not supposed to _agree_ with me when I'm beating myself up! It's the unwritten rule of friendship!"

"You won't listen to me when I try to encourage you! So what do you _want_ me to do?"

I groan, removing my stupid hat. "I don't think I can manage this job right now."

She takes my stupid hat and places it back on my stupid head. "Sure you can! You just have to get used to it. You've only been here for a week. Things like this take time."

She won't say it out loud, but she's just happy that I'm not sucking dick for cash anymore. No matter how bad I mess up, she just comes up with whatever excuse she can find to make it seem not as bad and it all translates to the same thing.

 _Hey, at least nobody got hurt! – Translation: Hey, at least you're not sucking dick!_

 _Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. Things can always be worse! – Translation: Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. You could be out there getting STDs!_

 _Just thank God the glasses didn't break. – Translation: Just thank God you don't have to be a cum dumpster anymore._

But at the end of the day, I know she cares. So I can't really be mad at her. And taking a break from sex working has given me time to think about my situation more clearly. It gives me an excuse to avoid Terra all week. Kairi and I, along with a few others with similar shifts, get to leave ten minutes early before AP English ends to get ready for work. Better yet, I was able to convince Papa Nomura that I couldn't be partnered up with that long-haired piece of shit for the project any longer. My only concern is whether or not this is temporary. I can only take being the resident screw-up for so long.

My phone vibrates, signaling a new text message.

 **How's work? :) – Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

Yeah, that's the caption I set for him in my phone. What? So I still kinda like him. Sue me.

I tap away an instant reply.

 ** _Awful. I think my boss secretly hates me. Just lost us another customer :'( - Xion_**

 **Again? What'd you do this time? – Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

 ** _Dropped soba noodles on their head – Xion_**

 **LOL – Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

 **I mean – Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

 **Awww :( - Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

I shake my head but fail to restrain a smile. I never thought having his number could be so much fun. We practically text nonstop throughout the whole day, telling each other about every little nuance. Sometimes, our conversations last until three in the morning, sending each other random pictures and playing stupid little word games. I wonder if he's set my name to something specific...

 ** _You busy later? – Xion_**

 **Nope. Work only on Fridays and weekends – Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

 ** _Can I come over? – Xion_**

 **I figured you'd ask. Already got the popcorn and Disney movie lined up – Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

 ** _Tangled or Frozen? - Xion_**

 **Tangled ;) – Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

 ** _My man – Xion_**

"Ahem."

I look up from my phone to find Kairi with her arms crossed. A sly smirk rests easy on her face.

"Sorry." I send an apologetic smile.

"Texting Roxas again, huh?"

I frown. "Was it that obvious?"

She only gives a shrewd look.

Goodness. I guess that's just the power of Roxas. I'll admit it, I've dabbled in a few fantasies. Some romantic, some rated R, and some I'm not very proud of. Since I'm free from the chains of my previous enterprise, at least temporarily, I suppose that technically means relationships are back on the table. At the same time, I'm not sure if I'm ready for one.

I guess we'll just have to take it one step at a time.

 ** _S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S_**

I clear my throat and knock on the door. I take a deep breath and turn around, presenting myself to Kairi. "How do I look?"

She assesses me for a moment before giving a confused glance. "Like... a girl who works at Shoyu Shoyu?"

My face falls. "You're clearly no help in this department."

"Xion, we're still wearing our uniforms. And since when do you care how you look so much? It's just a study session."

I roll my eyes. "Come on, get with the program. Roxas is fixing up popcorn and a movie. Did you really think we were gonna study?"

She hides her English textbook behind her back with a faint blush residing on her cheeks. "Psh. _No_."

Soon enough, Roxas opens the door. "Alright, so nobody is on their period, right?"

I place my hands on my hips and give him a dull look for such a tasteless joke.

"So... yes?"

I roll my eyes and shove him aside.

Upon entering, I get a whiff of his cologne as I pass by. The perfect balance: not too little, not too much. He closes the door as he and Kairi exchange friendly greetings. In the span of a week, it's already become a tradition to come back to Roxas place to hang out.

"So, remind me the point of this rendezvous?" Roxas asks.

I plop down next to his table while trying, I repeat, trying to keep myself from shamelessly checking him out. Why has he looked so— _good_ lately? He wears a long-sleeved polo and skinny jeans. It's simple, yet he _rocks_ that shit. "You've been summoned to listen to my whines and complaints about how horrible I am at my job."

"I'm honored for the job," he says sarcastically. He walks into the kitchen and takes a bowl out of one of the cabinets. "Lay it on me, sister."

"First of all—"

I pause when the bathroom door opens and sure enough, it just had to be Naminé. I guess I was getting my hopes up thinking I'd be able to have Roxas all to myself without any competition. It's not like Kairi is pining after him. Naminé, on the other hand, is a problem. I glare at her ensemble; she wears a blue off-shoulder blouse and some denim shorts. Again, not much, but I probably pale in comparison. Here I am, still rocking my Shoyu Shoyu uniform.

"Oh. You," I deadpan.

"Xion! G'day, love! You made it," Naminé says as she skips over to the opposite side of the table and takes a seat. "And you brought a friend, I see. This is the Kairi Hart I've heard a bit of, yeah?"

Kairi nods. "Yup! You must be Naminé. She's said some... interesting things about you." She chuckles nervously. Naminé gives me a curious look. Bitch, what are you looking at? You heard her.

"Funny, Roxas forgot to mention you would be here." If I'd known, I would've at least stopped back home to change. But I'm victim to a powerful laziness that has conquered many of us. I send him a glare as he sets a bowl of kernels into the microwave.

He chuckles nervously. "Did I? Silly me." He hops over the couch and plops into the soft cushion. "It's just that I know how you are, Xion."

"How I am? What's that supposed to mean?" I cross my arms expectantly. "Please, enlighten me."

Roxas bites his lip. His eyes dart every which way trying to come up with something to say.

I look over at Kairi, and she quickly looks the other way as well, whistling low.

Naminé just winks and sticks her tongue out at me.

"You're just a little—how should I say this? Uh..." He rubs the back of his neck. "So, how was work today?" he asks, smiling like an idiot as he rests his fist on his chin.

I roll my eyes and decide to let it go. "I told you. I dropped soba noodles on a poor guy's head."

"Sounds rough," Naminé comments. "And hilarious."

"That's what I said," Roxas admits.

"It kinda was," Kairi agrees.

"Glad to hear that my misery brings you guys joy." I scoff. "Pretty sure I'm about one bad incident away from being let go. I've had this job for a week and I'm already a screw-up."

"You're not a screw-up," Roxas says. I give him a monotone expression. "Okay, you're kind of a screw-up. But! Look at the bright side. At least it's better than, uh, what you did before."

If Kairi had a glass of wine, I'm sure she'd toast to that. "You said it!"

Naminé looks between us confusedly. "What did you do before?" We still haven't broken the news to her. I would prefer to keep it that way, honestly. I feel like she'd secretly use it against me.

"None of your business." That probably could've came out friendlier.

"Always the brazen one." Naminé chuckles nervously.

Roxas gives me a scolding look.

"What?" I question.

"Be nice." The microwave beeps. "Popcorn time!"

"Hey Roxas, is there a little ladies room?" Kairi asks.

"Down the hall, first door to your left."

As soon as the two of them leave, Naminé looks directly at me; a cocky smirk plays on her lips and she places her hands underneath her large breasts tauntingly. I _knew_ this bitch was gloating! In response, I rise to my feet and feign the need to hoist up the waist of my leggings just to give her a good look at what _I_ have that _she_ doesn't. She rolls her eyes in response.

Okay. So maybe not the classiest gestures but hey, I can't back down from a challenge!

I sit back down before Roxas notices our passive aggressive competition and he takes a seat in front of the table. "So, I just came up with a brilliant idea. What if messing up three times in a row might be some kind of - I dunno, a sign or something?"

"A sign for what?" I ask.

"That maybe this isn't the right job for you."

I stuff my hands into the bowl, snatching out a fistful of popcorn. "And here I was thinking that you, of all people, would be proud of me for settling down with an actually legal occupation."

"I am, believe me. But something about this still doesn't feel right. And you don't really look the part. In fact, you look like miserable half the time."

"Gee, thank you so much for your clearly necessary input."

"Legal?" Naminé inquires. "Just keep me out of the loop, why don't you?"

"Sure thing," I say. No need to tell me twice. Something about her just makes me want to reach across the table and slam her face into it. I return my focus to Roxas. "Did you have anything else in mind?"

He wipes his mouth with a napkin, hiding a sheepish grin. "Well... now that you mention it... I've been thinking, maybe I could put in a good word for you to my uncle and you can work with me at Seventh Heaven? I was thinking you could perform, sing a few songs, of course. Now wait a minute—" he says, before I can interrupt, "—before you say anything and obviously become more difficult because it can never just be a simple yes or no with you—" I roll my eyes to that, "—I think it could actually be really good for you."

I slump my shoulders. "You remember what happened last time."

"Wait, you can sing?" Naminé asks. I keep forgetting that she's here. Can't she like, I don't know, _not_ exist? Her presence offends me.

Roxas laughs. "You kiddin'? She's awesome!"

I lean my head against my palm and tapping my fingernails against the glass panel of the table. "Awesome?" I ask with sarcastic disbelief.

"Amazing," he says in response to my dreary expression. "You gotta hear her sometime."

"Augh..." I groan. "Please don't raise her expectations."

"It could be fun." Roxas chuckles. "At least we'd get to see each other more often. And you'd be able to get some practice in. Come on, how are you going to become a professional singer if you're too scared to sing in front of a crowd?"

"I'm not scared," I declare with annoyance. "You just caught me off-guard last time. I just—I don't know. Maybe right now isn't the best time."

"Why?" I shrink a little when I can't come up with a reason. "Exactly. You don't even know. Like I said, difficult." He rests his hands behind his head. "I think you should do it. Don't you agree, Nam?"

Naminé lifts her head with a mouthful of popcorn. "Haah? Yreah!" She gulps it down. "Follow your heart, love!"

"See? Even Nam agrees," Roxas says proudly.

She gives a guilty look and a sheepish smile. "Um... what are we talking about again?"

Roxas face palms and I can't help but a smirk. That's a negative point for her. Stupid blonde.

"I guess I can't expect an answer out of you right now," Roxas admits. "But you should think about it. At least consider it. Can you do that much for me?"

I guess it's worth a shot. No promises on me going through with it. I don't think I'm going to be able to step inside that place again without cringing. "Fine," I mumble.

"Hmm?" he hums with a teasing smirk. "I'm sorry, didn't catch that."

"I'll _think_ about it. Just don't get your hopes up."

He grins, stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth. "I'll take what I can get."

Kairi returns from the bathroom and takes her spot next to me once again.

"Now," Roxas says. "You ladies up for a little bit of Netflix and chill? Preferably without the Netflix part?"

We pick up handfuls of popcorn and throw it at him.

He shrugs with that stupid grin. "It was worth a shot."

 ** _S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S_**

After dropping Naminé and Kairi off, Roxas pulls up to my house. We double check to make sure my dad isn't watching us this time. An almost seductive-looking gaze takes over his face. It's getting a bit too hot in here for comfort. I hold my breath, waiting for him to break the ice, but in typical Roxas fashion, he never does.

So I beg the question... "What is it?"

He shakes his head and smiles, moving some of my bangs away from eyes. "Just gorgeous."

Whoa. Didn't see that coming. Thankfully, the evening lighting can shadow however pink my cheeks probably are. "Oh. Thanks, I—"

"The moon just looks absolutely gorgeous tonight, doesn't it?"

Why do I keep falling for his trolling? Seriously. When am I going to learn my lesson? I jab him on the shoulder while he laughs at my expense. "Baka. Quit toying with my emotions."

"I can't help it." He grins with a shrug. "You're fun to mess with. Besides, I can't help it if you want my big, fat, juicy—"

"Roxas, I swear to god..."

"Lollipop." He pulls out an actual lollipop from his bag. "What'd you think I was gonna say, perv?"

I snatch the cherry-flavored lollipop from his possession, unwrap it, and stuff it into my left cavity. "Do you ever get tired of being a jackass?"

"Nope. Why stop when your reactions are priceless?" He winks. "Besides, it's a sucker. I thought you specialized in that department."

Okay, maybe I walked right into that one. "Alright, chill out. You're gonna make me sock you in your tit one of these days."

We share a brief laugh before Roxas turns my way with a much sincerer looking smile. "But you know, I never compliment people if I don't mean it."

I'm keeping my guard up this time. "Don't fuck with me, Roxas."

"I'm not." He laughs. "You'd be surprised at how long I've been waiting to say that, actually." He rubs the back of his head in his usual boyish fashion.

Bow chicka wow wow? I struggle to find the proper words before noticing that we're being watched from my living room blinds. I can't really tell whether I'm grateful or disappointed.

I sigh. "I better go."

He leans over with that seductive look of his again. "No goodnight kiss?"

"Goodnight, Roxas." I push his head back and exit the car.

Roxas salutes in return and speeds down the road. A second later, I receive a text message.

 **Nudes? ;) – Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

I roll my eyes and cross the street. I like to believe that I'm pretty good at reading people; I'm pretty perceptive when it comes to deciphering motivations - except for Roxas. He's one of the few that can evade my - how should I say this - cognitive scrutiny? I'm just trying to sound smart. His constant teasing makes me contemplate whether he's seriously interested or if he's just trolling me all of the time. I feel like if I make a move, he'll just reject me again. And then I'll feel stupid.

I take out my key and prepare to open the door—

"There you are, Xion. Just in time."

—but instead it opens before I can do the honors. And to make matters worse, that voice brings about a certain queasiness to my stomach. I slowly raise my gaze to look into a pair of blue eyes. Tan skin. Long brunet hair. I think you know where this is going.

So, the world is conspiring against me. It's official, right?

"Well, aren't you cute in your little uniform? But I have a feeling it might be a little bit too late for that." Terra makes way for me to enter. "Aren't you gonna come in? It's getting pretty chilly out."

So many questions. For instance, _why_ is he here? _Why_ is he smiling like that? And _why_ has he not gotten ran over by a bus yet? That third one is crucial.

I walk inside of my house, my shoulders stiff and my fingers weak. The door shuts and a momentary silence takes over. I turn to face him and get a good gander of his oddly calm and almost arrogant demeanor. He smirks and places a hand in his pocket, using the other to snap in front of my eyes. "You dead?"

I shake out of my trance. "W-What are you—"

"Hey, Xion." Sora walks in, eating a banana. He tosses an apple over to Terra. "Hey, you should make yourself useful and cook me and my buddy here something to eat."

"I, um..."

He raises an eyebrow. "Okay... pretty weak comeback. I was expecting you to say something like 'either make something yourself or eat shit.' What's the matter with you?" he asks. "Oh, right. I forgot you both go to Twilight. You know my buddy, Terra, don't you?"

Unfortunately, a bit too well. "Uh, we share AP English."

"Likewise," Terra says with a grin.

"What's he doing here?" I ask Sora.

"He's pulling some strings to get me a job at his dad's company. Turns out, this guy is awesome so we've just been hanging out. We're on our way over to his place, but I needed to change, so we stopped by here. This man is hilarious, Xion. I think you two would get along."

I purse my lips. "Mm hmm..."

"Oh, most definitely," Terra says. "But you know, if I were friends with your little sister, I don't know if I'd be able to keep my hands off her."

"Bro, are you seriously hitting on my sister right in front of me?" Sora playfully jabs him in the side with his elbow. "Don't make me hurt you." He laughs.

He chuckles. "No worries. Your sister's cute, don't get me wrong, but I have a girlfriend. You don't need to worry about me."

Oh ho, I _beg_ to differ.

Sora points a finger at him teasingly. "I better not. This guy is a total chick magnet. We can't walk for two seconds without some girl asking for his number."

He shrugs. "What can I say? They can't resist an honest man." He rubs the back of his head with sudden boyish charm. "Hey, where's the bathroom again? I keep forgetting."

"It's upstairs, it's the third door on the right hand side of the left hall," Sora answers, finishing his peel of potassium. "I gotta go downstairs real quick. Xion, make yourself useful for real this time and show him where the bathroom is."

"W-Wait, Sora!" I grab his arm.

He raises an eyebrow. "Yeah? What's up?"

"I, uh..." Think, Xion! Think! "Uh, where's Dad?"

"He had an appointment at the hospital. I think the doctors might clear him to work again. After that, he says he's gonna visit Mom."

"And Shiki?"

"How should I know?" he asks, clearly irritated.

Okay, so neither of them are home. Now what do I do? "You think you can show me where the... uh... hair brush is?"

"What are you talking about? It's on the sink counter, like always."

"Well, I don't remember seeing it there! So, you'll have to show me!"

"Man, what is _with_ you today?" He groans. "Dude, no. I just got out of the bathroom ten minutes ago. I saw it up there. Go see for yourself." He scoffs, turning to Terra. "See what I gotta put up with? Stop messing around and show the man the bathroom. Jeez."

His arm slips from my grasp and it only takes approximately ten seconds before I hear his footsteps clambering into the basement. Holding onto him made me feel safer. That sense of security escapes along with his presence. The air grows silent and I can feel my heart pounding for dear life. Stay strong, little fella. Oh, who am I kidding? I feel like I'm on the verge of passing out any second.

"Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to show me where the bathroom is?"

I keep my head low and make my way upstairs. Inevitably, he follows behind. Not one word is uttered between us, only to add to my discomfort. Is there even anything to say? Once we make it upstairs, I point down the hall and quickly shift towards my room, but he grabs me by the wrist.

"Hold on a second." I dare not look him in the face. "We need to talk."

"What if I don't want to?"

He drags me towards the bathroom; despite my resistance, he doesn't budge. I try calling out for my brother, but I'm quickly muffled before I can even sputter the first vowel. He shoves me into the bathroom. I almost lose my balance, but thankfully, I fall back onto the closed toilet seat.

No longer wearing his fabricated charm, he locks the door shut. I glare back at him, despite being a nervous wreck on the inside. He wouldn't go so far as to assault me, physically or sexually, while Sora is right under us, would he?

His scowl gradually deforms into an almost bored-looking expression, and he sets his sights on the hairbrush mentioned earlier, right on the counter just like Sora said. He tosses it my way. "There you go."

I catch it, but try my hardest to maintain eye contact. I have to be calm. If he sees how vulnerable I actually am, he'll take advantage of it. "I don't have anything to say to you."

"Good. Then just listen." Oh, great. Grab your popcorn, everybody. "I already know you stole my wallet. So, don't even try to deny it."

"Um, is it okay if I prefer the word 'borrowed' instead?"

He scrunches his eyes bitterly. "Try not to piss me off, either—because I could easily make your life a whole lot worse if I really wanted to. Especially after that little stunt with the pepper spray you pulled last week."

Which I forgot in my room, because I'm totally smart. But in my defense, it didn't really occur to me when the most notable threat I knew I'd be around was Roxas.

"Sure." I keep my eyes focused on my thighs. So much for the eye contact.

"Here's what's going to happen. Since I'm feeling generous, and since your Sora's little sister and he just so happens to be a really great guy, I'm going to let go of the fact that you had the audacity to not only steal my money, but the balls to actually defend yourself." He grins maliciously. "Hate to say it, but I have to give credit where credit is due, and you've got spunk, Xion. I have to respect anyone with those kinds of guts."

So, it's over? Just like that? Right. And I'm a three-headed rhinoceros preparing to give birth to pink elephants. "You must take me for some kind of moron. As if I'm supposed to believe there's not a catch. Don't play games. Just get to the point already, will you?"

He chuckles dryly and approaches slowly. "See? That, right there. What is wrong with you? After everything I've done to you, even though you know I can easily pin you to the ground, muffle that loud mouth of yours, and rip those pants right off of you, you're still bold enough to talk back?"

He kneels down on one leg, slams his hand against the wall, and increases our proximity. Way to be a total creep about it, Terra. I turn my head and cross my arms.

"I expected you to be timid, but you just mouth off at me like it's no big deal. But you never back down. That attitude of yours is annoying, but you don't see it very often. That's what fascinates me about you. You're not like the other girls. You don't break."

Oh. So I guess he doesn't notice that I am on the brink of wetting myself out of fear for my well-being. Though, me constantly tapping my foot is probably a decent distraction. Of course I'm scared. Why wouldn't I be? This guy singlehandedly orchestrated a traumatic experience that gave me anxiety and nightmares for weeks. Now I finally find myself mellowing out, at least a little, and he pops right back up to make matters worse.

I crunch the last bit of my lollipop and toss the bare stick into the trash. "What about your girlfriend?" I ask. "So, her feelings just don't matter to you at this point?"

He scoffs. "This isn't about her. Unlike you, she already knows not to step out of line. But that makes it less fun. Besides, she doesn't have to find out." His look turns stern. "And if she does, you'll regret it. Not because I give a damn about her finding out, but because I am directly telling you not to, and that would be a sign of disobedience, wouldn't it?"

"What do you want?"

Suddenly, his lips crash against mine. What the hell! I try to punch him in the chest, but he won't flinch. I can feel his smirk as he forces me into his hold.

At last, he releases me and I place a hand on my chest. Oh, sweet oxygen. How I have taken thou for granted. "Dude!"

He smirks. "Heard you finally retired from being a slut and got a real job. In that case, you owe me."

He yanks me up and turns me around, grasping my upper body from behind while he hands slither down my thighs. This brings back unwanted memories from last time. Temperature level, rising! A hundred and twenty-one degrees Fahrenheit!

"Until you've paid me back every single penny, this ass is mine. I own you. Whenever I call, you give me what I want. I don't care if you're in class, if you're at work, or if you're on the other end of Twilight Town. You come to me. Am I understood?"

I gulp. "And if I refuse?"

"Well, I would hate for it to have to come to this, but I guess I'd be forced to make your brother a target. I really don't want to do that; he doesn't deserve it. But if that's what it's going to take for you to learn some obedience..."

"Way to be subtle about it. Did you just forget about jail?"

"Did you?" he returns. "Did we already forget who decided it'd be a good idea to become a professional slut in the first place? Did we forget that it's illegal in this town? Did we forget that you're only seventeen? Gosh, I'd hate to see the shame your family would have to bear. Man, the humiliation. So, do us both a favor, and don't piss me off. Don't make me do something I don't want to do."

It's always a lose-lose scenario with this creep. Sure, I could report him, but I'm not completely innocent in this exchange either. Besides, he seems like the kind of guy to have power to pull strings even from behind bars. Who knows who else I might have endangered just by being associated with him? God, I am such an idiot!

"Any questions?" he asks.

"Why me?" I inhale, trying to catch my breath. "I don't understand..."

"You think you're the only one?" He laughs. "I'm talking to a lot of different people. I like to keep an open market. But you're my first bitch, so feel honored."

You are such a piece of shit and I hope you get decapitated by a forklift!

That's what I _would_ say if my heart weren't on the verge of exploding...

"Any more questions?"

Reluctantly, I let my arms fall to my sides. "No..."

"Good." He leaves a trail of kisses down the side of my neck. "I promise, this'll be just between you and me. No third parties involved. This time, you're my property only."

Oh, gee. _That_ makes it a whole lot better.

"Hey! You still in there?" Sora calls from downstairs. "Are you almost done?"

"I'll be right out!" Terra calls back. "I'll be in touch."

"Yay..." I mutter sarcastically. He forces me into one last kiss before letting me free. Exhausted, I plop back down onto the toilet seat. What have I gotten myself into? What did I do to deserve this? In fact, why _is_ he so bent on making my life a living hell? "Wait."

He turns around with a puzzled expression.

"Before you go. Your girlfriend... her name is Aqua, right?"

He takes a moment to respond. "How did you know that?"

"Lucky guess."

"Don't screw around with me, Xion. Don't let me hear anything from her about this. You don't want to do that."

"Oh, I believe you." I don't put anything past him, at this point. "But let me ask you, how would you feel if you found out she was doing something like this to you behind your back? Did you even consider that?"

Terra averts his sights to the ground for a moment, and for a split second, I detect a dash of vulnerability. I would've missed it if I had blinked. But almost just as quickly, he returns to his stone-face front, looking me dead in the eyes. "That would never happen. Trust me. She isn't worth the heartache. Nobody is. And that's why she keeps coming back."

I get it. His lack of remorse, his spitefulness towards women, and that damn temper of his. It's no justification for being a piece of shit and I'm still banking on that decapitation, don't get me wrong. But I think I understand what's going on. I just wish I knew the context in full detail.

"Someone broke you."

He pauses and turns his head back halfway. "What?" he asks, with a hint of irritation in his tone. "What makes you say that?"

"Because..." I sigh. "That makes two of us."

"What are you—"

"Terra! Come on, man!"

He hesitantly tears his eyes away from mine before marching downstairs. "I'm coming."

Let us all have a moment of silence to digest what just happened, shall we?

Oh, god. I really, really hope he gets hits by a bus within the next few hours. I don't think I've hated someone so much in my entire life, and that's saying something. But you want to know what the worst part about it is? I look into his eyes and I only see myself, except ten times worse. And that only makes me hate him ten times more.

I take a moment to process everything. If he seriously thinks I'm just going to sit back and obediently act as his "bitch" then he hasn't met Xion Spades.

But I don't think I can do this alone. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I walk into the hallway and pull out my phone, click on my go-to emergency contact, and wait patiently for her to pick up.

"Oh, hiya!" Kairi chirps. "I was just about to call you to make sure you study for that quiz."

"Kairi, I'm going to need your help."

"What? Why? What is it?"

I peek out the window to find Sora and Terra pulling out of the driveway. "I'm being blackmailed."

"...Who do I stab first?"

* * *

Okay... so this one got a little delayed ^^; But I got it out before the month was up (barely, you big lazy!) shut up! *ahem*

Part of the reason why this got so delayed though, was because I've been going through a horrendous editing process with this story. The first two chapters have been entirely rewritten and edited (although, the second chapter still needs a few finishing touches but I didn't want to spend the next five hours editing and get this out at around 3 AM or something).

But don't worry, because the plot is generally still the same! So any of you current readers don't have to be confused. I'm only doing this to make the reading experience better (hopefully) better for future readers. I didn't like the way the earlier chapters were written, so I was planning on rewriting the chapters at least up to chapter 6.

I've made a few minor changes, so hopefully it isn't too confusing. The changes I've made are:

1\. I changed the school name from Yasoina High to Twilight High, so there might be some errors here and there I'll have to patch up. Yeah yeah I know, it's kinda basic but Yasoina High wasn't doing it for me lol

2\. Lots of dialogue has been spruced up, and the scene between Yuna and Tidus happens a bit differently, but nothing crazy

3\. I added a lot to the conversation between Roxas and Xion at the end of last chapter (this is one of the few changes I recommend going back to read, there's actually a few important details in this conversation now)

4\. The bar Roxas' uncle owns is now a club and it's called Seventh Heaven, only because Tifa works there xD also, a few things added to the first time Xion met Roxas there

5\. I scrapped the scene between Xion and the old man back in chapter 8. Wasn't feeling it anymore. I think I could've pulled that off better but something similar might show up in the future.

6\. Instead of making Isa call at the end of chapter 8, I just changed it to Demyx. It makes more sense lol

If any of you guys find this confusing, or have any suggestions about what I should or shouldn't get rid of (if you remember that far back) please feel free to let me know in a review!

Guest time!

 **Taythekid:** Thanks so much for reading! I appreciate you taking the time to say something as well! I've really enjoyed writing her character, so I'm glad to see that it's paying off at least a little bit! ^_^

 **Guest #1:** I don't think it was _that_ obvious. I think everybody kinda figured that Demyx wasn't exactly trustworthy, but I think (at least I hope) most of you guys were surprised that it was as many people as it was.

 **Guest #2:** Pretty sure you're the same guest from above? But I could wrong. Anyway, that's a good point, but again, you have to look at the character of Xion, not what _you_ would do. Like I said, Xion, (at least before this chapter) didn't and still partially doesn't like involving people into her problems. She prefers to handle things on her own and if she got Sora hurt just because of her own mistakes, she wouldn't be able to handle the guilt. Even if they did catch Terra, Sora would still be hurt. So in her mind, it's not worth it. If anyone should pay for the consequences of her own mistakes, it should be her. That's just how she feels. Don't you think it would be pretty selfish of her to put him at risk like that? Also, she couldn't really do that if she wanted to because there are multiple witnesses to her own illegal activity. So no matter what, if she tries to take him down, she'll go down with him. She might not get something too serious, but it'd still be a humiliating experience for her. That's what makes it tough. It's hard to say what she "should" do in this scenario because there are a plethora of possibilities. Also, you're right, this story was getting pretty dark to still have it categorized as "humor" lol so I changed it to Romance/Drama instead ^_^

I gotta give another shoutout to the wonderful **SummonerDagger88** for drawing me up another cover photo up there! It's so nice to have a visual reference at what my characters look like (yeah, I know their designs aren't really my own but it's not the same when I look at a picture of Xion wearing her Organization outfit as opposed to seeing her in the leather jacket I've imagined her wearing so many times xD). I think this one came out awesome too, especially Xion! I should be having one more coming from her soon! I'm going to be switching the covers every now and then, just to change it up every once in a while. So you might come back to this story with a different cover each time.

Alrighty, thanks for taking the time to read! If you could be so kind, please leave a review down below! I would REALLY appreciate it and it would seriously make my day! :D

Oh, almost forgot to thanks everybody for reviewing last chapter!

Much love and thanks to **La Esmeralda Gypsy Witch, Sinful Serenata, Dream Fighter75, ForsakenXIII, SummonerDagger88, Escape the Shadow, DUSoft, The Fool's Arcana, SoraLover1994, and the guests** for reviewing the last chapter! You guys keep me going and I can't thank you enough!

 **EDIT:** There's the new cover! I think it's really cute! Captures Roxas and Xion's relationship perfectly! The little smirk on her face says it all. He gets on her nerves and she finds him annoying as hell, but at the end of the day she can't stay mad at him. I love it so much! Check it out over on her Deviant Art, it's the same name: SummonerDagger88! Especially since a lot of it unfortunately had to get cut out

Also, I changed the summary! Let me know what you guys think! Should I keep this one or go back to the old one? Let me know in a review please, it would be very helpful!

 **#bananasquad because why not?**


	13. Detention

**Chapter 13**

You know what I hate? Awkward, uncomfortable silences. You know what makes it worse?

When you're not allowed to break them.

With that in mind, I'm currently gazing out the window with my legs crossed, tapping my foot impatiently, hoping it will somehow speed up the process. This has been the most sluggish two hours I've ever endured. I sit in the far right-hand corner in an almost barren classroom. It's become difficult to keep my eyes open. Mr. McCartney is situated at the front desk with a magazine to keep him preoccupied.

Yup. Detention. To make matters worse, on a Saturday. Because... adventure ho? And for the cherry on top, I've got some unwanted comrades here to join me in my unwarranted misery.

Demyx Suzumara. Age? Seventeen. Current location, five seats to my left. Certified punk bitch loser with a whiny voice and an addiction to his sitar. He's been tuning the damn thing for fifteen minutes. I'm surprised McCartney hasn't said anything. I cast one of my ultra-deadly glares and he quickly looks away, visibly uneasy.

Hayner Sasaki. Age? Unknown. Current location, dead center of the room. His eyes look like they haven't slept in ages, but he doesn't seem to care. He's been glued to his handheld console this entire time and his earbuds keep him successfully detached from reality.

Zidane Tribal. Age? Seventeen. Current location, middle of the far-left row. He often sits backwards in his chair, since he's always mindlessly wagging his tail. I don't know much about him, but I heard he's not native to Twilight Town. He comes from some world called Lindblum.

Fujin Natsuki, nicknamed Fuu. Age? Seventeen. Current location, three seats ahead of me. Silent, but deadly. While Hayner has been glued to his game, she's been attached to her book. I've never spoken with her before, but I know that she's friends with Seifer and Rai. That alone makes me cautious.

Last, but certainly not least, Yuna Burress. Age? Seventeen. Current location, three seats ahead of Zidane. Super mega bitch in disguise as a "feminist." Annoying voice. Though, she's looked a bit depressed the past few days. Did I mention she's a super mega bitch?

I catch a wink from Zidane across the room. I ignore him and return my focus to the outside, envying the crazy kids getting to enjoy their freedom and youth, while I idle here, forced to be unproductive. Why am I in detention, you ask?

Well, once upon a time, there was this girl. She was about average height, known for wearing leather jackets and leggings, and had a rockin' ass that she worked very, very hard on. It was months of squat training that she'd never get back. Unfortunately, that ass of hers got her into a lot of trouble, particularly with boys. See, this girl got roped into a case of blackmail at the hands of this creep named Terra-ble (get it? Okay, sorry). Until she paid him back the money she owed, she was forced to offer him sexual services at any time he proposed, or else.

It all started the previous Monday. The aforementioned girl was minding her own business in physics class, trying to be a good girl and pay attention to the lesson for once, despite a certain blond-haired goofball sending her an excess number of GIFs and memes to make her laugh and get her in trouble with the teacher.

Eventually, she got a text message from someone else.

 **Music room. Now. Hurry up. - Terra**

She returned a message saying she was in the middle of class, but he didn't care. Why did she bother trying? This was happening for the past few days. Why would this time be different? Foolish girl, expecting things to go her way.

So, she conjured an excuse to the teacher that involved a bathroom break and snuck into the proposed music room. Terra-ble had just got out of physical education early and decided he needed to get his dick wet before the period ended. He had fifteen minutes.

The next thing she knew, she was bent over the piano with her leggings down to her thighs while Terra-ble jammed himself into her from behind. Already hot with the embarrassment of having to obey this jerkass, the odor of sweat and his sticky skin from running laps wasn't helping. While he did his thing, the girl kept her nose and mouth buried into the crook of her arms to muffle potential noises she may have been making.

Not that it was pleasurable on her end in the slightest.

He promised it would be a quickie, ten minutes max. But after thirteen minutes, the girl was fed up. Mostly because that idiot was going to make her late to her next class.

"Could you hurry it up already?!" she asked with grit teeth.

He took a handful of her hair and yanked her head back. "Keep it down. Don't be stupid."

Out of fear of getting physically assaulted, she chose to stay quiet. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Terra-ble climaxed as soon as the next period began. The girl didn't waste time listening to whatever spiel he had to offer as she hastily pulled up her leggings and rushed to her next class. Already with a bad record for tardiness, she couldn't afford another late slip. That could be an after-school detention and it would interfere with her shift. Nothing was stopping her this time. She was going to make it to class in record time, damn it.

Yeah right.

It'd been a few weeks since a traumatic experience, and the aftermath effects still hadn't completely worn off. It left her clumsier than before. Thus, while not looking where she was going, she crashed into—well, a super mega bitch.

"Watch where you're going!" yelled Super Mega Bitch.

You can put two and two together, right? Some things were said, some feelings were hurt, some punches were thrown, and asses were kicked. A security guard stepped into the fray and separated them, but they were sent to the principal's office. For their punishment, they received a three-hour long detention rather than suspension.

In conclusion, our valiant heroine was subjected to a torturously boring extended period of silence and discipline. She fought well, but in the end, there was nothing that she could do to avoid the conspirators that ruled the universe, and fate sent me—

—excuse me, her—

—into the school equivalent of prison. I think we've learned a very important life lesson today: make sure that your name isn't Xion Spades, otherwise you're doomed to failure.

Mr. McCartney checks his watch and closes his magazine. "Alright, I think you guys have suffered enough. I'm gonna use the restroom. We still have about an hour left, but I'll let you guys talk if you want." Not a sound is uttered. Nobody even moves a muscle, for that matter. "...Well, if I come back and find that anybody is missing, I will report them to Mr. Pete. If you're listening to music, make sure you keep your ear things in and that it's not disturbing your classmates."

At Mr. McCartney's exit, not much changes. Everybody keeps to themselves, and eventually it gets awkward. The only noises being made are Demyx tuning his stupid sitar and Hayner clicking buttons in rapid succession. Can I just get struck by a bolt of lightning or something? Just end this pain already.

Eventually, a hand comes crashing onto my desk, catching me off-guard before I make eye contact with the source. "Can I help you?" I ask.

He taps his chin, humming in thought. Impatiently, I wait for an elaboration to this confrontation. "Yup," he says. "You're the one."

Oh, god. Let me guess, he's going to give me some tired pickup line, right? "The what?"

"The girl who spoke to me in my dreams!"

Xion: 1.

Originality: 0.

"What do you want, Zidane?"

He plops himself on my desk without asking my permission. I don't mind, but jeez. Some consideration would be nice. "I just wanted to talk to you. I've seen you around but I've never thought to say anything. I guess fate brought us together."

"Aren't you the one who single-handedly flirted with the entire cheerleading team?"

He shrugs with a grin. "Can't blame a guy for trying." I hope he's not here looking for a booty call. If that's the case, he's a few weeks too late. "Uh, what?" he asks in response to my skeptical staring.

"You're not here for what I think you're here for, right?"

He scratches his head. "To... hit on you?"

"You didn't happen to hear about a certain reputation of mine?"

"Reputation?" He ponders for a moment. "I don't know what you're getting at. I just thought you were hot."

"What she is implying, Tribal, is whether or not you've come to her with a proposition for sexual immorality," Yuna blurts from across the room, casually examining her fingernails. "In other words, the little skank wants to know if you're willing to spare a penny or two for an act of fornication. It's pretty much all she's good for."

"Ouch," Zidane remarks.

I just love when people assume they know me better than I do. "I'm sorry, but did anyone invite you into the conversation?" I ask. "Please, stay where you belong. Alone in a corner."

She spins to the side of her chair and faces us, wearing her usual grimace while adjusting her glasses. "You are a worthless, lying, filthy, slutty cunt whose value is only measured by self-objectification."

"And you're an idiot." I shoot from my seat, rolling up my already rolled-up sleeves.

"W-Whoa—" Zidane backs up from my sudden outburst. "This escalated quickly."

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm sorry?" I continue. "Seriously, I've told you time and time again, I didn't know. So, will you just shut up about it already? It's been two years. Get over it."

Silence dominates the area yet again. Yuna and I are already locked into a deadly staring contest. I can literally feel the sparks flying.

"I'll never forgive you."

I cross my arms. "Figures. You're too caught up in your own hatred to think clearly for one goddamn second. No wonder Tidus is always—"

"You shut up about him!" Yuna shoves aside a desk and marches right at me. Bring it on, bitch. I ready myself for round two, but Zidane steps in my path and restrains me. Demyx jumps out of his seat to do the same for Yuna.

"Can you assholes keep it down?" Hayner says, refusing to take his eyes away from his game for a second.

"Whoa! Slow down, pretty lady," Zidane says. "Can't we all just get along?"

I blink. The way he said that, it catches me by surprise. For a second, he almost sounded like Roxas. I guess Roxas probably wouldn't be very happy if he saw me lose my shit over something this dumb and trivial. Just imagining that stupid smile that can somehow be both annoying and comforting settles me down. She's still a super mega bitch, though.

"Yeah, man," Demyx continues. "You guys are already in Saturday school for fighting. You wanna get expelled, too?"

"Demyx, you are the absolute last person to be giving advice," I say with an unwavering glare.

That shut him up.

"Damn, Mama. What'd you do to her?" Zidane asks. "Screw her boyfriend?" Once again, I'm taken aback. He hit the nail on the head. What's with this guy? Is he a telepathist? Get out of my head, Zidane! "Whoa." He shifts his attention to Yuna, who turned her head the moment Zidane announced his eerily precise hypothesis. "Oh... sorry, didn't mean to—"

"Whatever." She returns to her seat, facing away from the rest of the class.

"Awkward," Demyx says. God, I hate when people say that. Is it really necessary? You're only making it more awkward. "Hey, I know!" He rushes to his sitar. "How 'bout I light this party up with some tunes—"

"No," everyone deadpans. I think we can all agree that we don't need our ears bleeding.

His shoulders complement the disappointment etching his countenance once they slouch accordingly. "Harsh, man..."

Once things settle down, everyone returns to where they were before. Yuna looks miserable at this point. I check my phone for the time. Still an agonizing forty-five minutes left. I'm running on twelve percent battery. Oh, fantastic! Now my phone decides to shut down out of nowhere. What happened to the last eleven percent, Mr. Phone?

I sigh and plop onto my seat. Zidane pulls up a chair. "On another note, has anyone ever mentioned how hot you are when you're angry?" He grins. "I think I might be falling for you."

I actually have heard that one before. I lean against my palm and gaze uninterestedly. "I suppose asking you to go away is pointless."

"Aww, don't be like that. Just trying to lift your spirits! You definitely look like you could use a pal, heh heh."

I scoff, but a smirk creeps on my lips. Is this Roxas's brother or something? "Fine. I guess I'll keep you around."

"I knew you couldn't resist me. So, what're you doin' after this?"

"Smooth," I drone. "I got work, so keep it in your pants. My friend is supposed to be picking me up after this, but my stupid phone died. I swear if he forgets, I'll kill him."

"I see that the kitty's got claws..." hHe teases with a purr.

I blink with finality. "Please don't."

"Can you idiots keep it down?" Yuna shouts. "The whole room doesn't need to be in on your conversation, you two!"

After a moment of mutually not giving a shit, we return to our conversation intentionally louder than before. "MY BUDDY IS SUPPOSED TO BE PICKING ME UP, TOO. SAY, XION! HOW 'BOUT WE RIDE TOGETHER IF YOUR FRIEND DOESN'T SHOW UP?"

"SURE, ZIDANE. I'LL CONSIDER IT."

Yuna groans and covers her ears at our obnoxiousness, much to our amusement. I have faith in Roxas, but knowing him, it never hurts to have a backup. I don't think he'd be cruel enough to leave me stranded, but I wouldn't put it past him if he makes a stupid prank out of it.

I take a moment to look Zidane over.

"What is it?" He looks at me in surprise. "Already diggin' my godlike physique, huh?"

"Hardly. I was just wondering how you got Saturday school. You seem... naively harmless."

He scratches the back of his head. "That's..."

"Come on, man. Spill it," says Demyx from the back. He's got his legs kicked up on one of the desks while messing with his sitar. "We've all got skeletons in here. No use hidin' anything; just makes you more suspicious."

Zidane frowns. "What about you?"

"...Huh?"

"How come you're in here? What kinda skeletons are you hiding?"

He clears his throat. Clearly, he didn't think this through. "H-Hey, man, I asked you first."

"What a wuss." Demyx opens his mouth to retort, but ultimately accepts defeat. He must realize how true it is. "How about you, Silver?" Zidane asks, addressing the silent girl stuck to her book. "What're you in here for?"

Fuu doesn't respond until she flips a page. "Irrelevant."

"She speaks," I affirm with slight surprise.

"You know, you ought to smile more often," Zidane says. "Life's too short to not have some fun along the way."

"...Nosy,"she says.

"N-Nosy? What's that s'posed to mean?"

"She has a point," Yuna says. "Why exactly are you so fascinated in everyone's reasoning for being here?"

He shrugs shamelessly. "Dunno. Just trying to get to know people. Everybody's so tense. I know this ain't the most ideal place for a Saturday, but cheer up! It could be worse."

"How?" Demyx asks, more accurately, whines. "I've had to miss band practice for almost a month because of this..."

We turn our attention to Demyx. "A month?" I ask.

He stiffens, as if he just blurted top secret info. "H-Huh?"

"You did something so bad that you got locked up here every Saturday... for a month?" Zidane raises an eyebrow. "Seriously, the hell did you do?"

"Will you just drop it already, man? It's nothing. Just something dumb."

Zidane rubs his chin. "Hmm... if you say so." He picks himself up and walks over to Hayner, who has remained consistently zombified by that damn game of his. "How 'bout you, slacker?" As Zidane pats him on the back, Hayner jolts out of his trance and agonizes while gaming device crashes onto the marble floor.

"NOOOOOOOO HO HO!" he cries, hunching over on the floor. Jeez, this guy really is pathetic. "Duuude! I was just about to beat the final boss! What was that for?"

Zidane chuckles and grins apologetically as he picks up the handheld system. "Whoops. Sorry about that... I just wanted to know why you were in here."

Hayner snatches it back. "Is that why you chose to ruin my life?" He groans. "Apparently, teachers are always telling me to put my game away, and I don't hear them. But they won't believe me. They think I'm being 'disrespectful' or something, so I got sent here. You happy now?"

I mean, really. Are you even surprised?

"Shit, I didn't even save! It's gonna take me a whole hour to get back to where I was..."

"Zidane. Move," Yuna demands, getting up to shoo him. "Why must you insist on disregarding everyone's' personal space?"

"Sorry," Zidane says defensively. "I didn't mean it—"

"Go back to flirting with your hussy over there." She points my way. "She seems to be the only one here appreciating your company, so stay put."

"Alright, alright..." Zidane says, backing away from her. "Take a chill pill, will ya?"

"And you!" Yuna snatches the game system, lifting it high in the air. Hayner whimpers while he miserably attempts to reach for it, though I don't really understand why he won't just stand up. "There is so much more to life than your silly little games. Aren't there more important things for you to worry about? Like college? A job? A car? Anything?"

I'm lost. So, is this not hypocritical?

"Give it baaacck," he wails. Yuna rolls her eyes and drops the device, landing it right in Hayner's possession. He affectionately rubs it against his cheek. "My baby..."

"Pathetic," Yuna says.

"How about you quit acting like you know what's best for everybody?" I ask.

"What?"

"I'm sick of you worrying about everybody except yourself. So what if he wants to play his games? Just leave him alone and mind your own damn business."

Hayner gawks. "...Marry me?"

Judging by his reaction, I guess not too many have stood up for him and his, well, admittedly unhealthy obsession with video games. Yuna scoffs. "Such selfishness. If you haven't noticed, I don't say these things to hurt anyone. I say this because I care and want to help make an impact on others. Unlike you, who have continuously shown that you have no consideration for anyone's feelings except your own."

I cross my arms with my own gaze narrowed in her direction. "Have you not noticed that you're going about it in the absolutely wrong way?"

Yuna noticeably stiffens and tightens her fist at the sound of my implication. "Oh, shut up! What do you know about helping others? What have you done for anybody except yourself? What do you know about trust and betrayal? What do you know about pain?" She removes her glasses and her stare doesn't waver. "Do you know why I became a feminist? Because of lustful pigs that have zero regard for the feelings of anybody other than themselves. For the women whose affection, admiration, and love were spat on by their significant others, who pretended to love them when all they were doing was using them for their bodies and nothing more. I want to protect people from dirty, selfish, lying, scumbags. People like you!"

I have no disregard for the feelings of others, while she continuously tries to hurt mine. That's some ten out of ten logic right there. "You really want to go there?"

"Not again..." Zidane groans.

He's right. I can't allow her to rile me up. She might just be trying to get a reaction out of me. Yuna won't admit it, but she sure does like to cause trouble, whether she realizes it or not. We've been through a lot. But it wasn't always like this. I think I've neglected to mention we've known each other for twelve years. Not surprising, we've lived a block away from each other forever. We even used to go to the same elementary school. There was even a time where we were cordial.

I can't say we've ever been true friends. At most, acquaintances I didn't mind eating ice cream with and would've waved goodbye to when our mothers picked us up from elementary. We'd even play together on occasion, despite me being more of a tomboy in comparison.

But then a certain Neku Sakuraba entered the picture.

It was sophomore year. Neku and I had been spending quality time together on and off. I was wondering why he seemed hesitant in the face of commitment, but due to my inexperience, I didn't think much of it. He seemed almost perfect. He was affectionate, always kissing me, telling me how much he appreciated having me around, cuddling without me having to ask, just treating me with respect...

Until it all came crashing down.

"You slept with my boyfriend?!" I was at my locker with Kairi when Yuna approached me. We were minding our own business and Yuna interrogated me out of nowhere, with fiery eyes.

"Boyfriend?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, Spades. Rikku saw you and Neku walking into his apartment complex last night. What exactly did you guys do?"

She wasn't wrong. The night before, Neku invited me to his place. His parents were rarely home, so it gave us an open spot to... do stuff. We'd been talking for a while, but we hadn't really made anything official yet, even though he took my virginity not too long prior. At the time, I had no idea he had a girlfriend. I couldn't have, because he doesn't go to our school. Neku knew that, and he took advantage of it.

Kairi and I shared a quick look, reciprocating perplexity.

"Uh... that's kind of private," I answered.

"So, you did fuck him? Is that right?" She slapped me without warning. I was so awestruck that I didn't even know how to process it. Aside from Shiki, on an extremely rare occasion, I never got into a fight before. "Slutty bitch!"

"What's your problem?!"

"Did you not just hear me? That is... was my boyfriend! How dare you have the gall to be with him behind my back?"

"It's not my fault he never mentioned a girlfriend. Excuse me for not reading his mind!"

We already drew a crowd. I think Kairi was trying to calm me down, but I don't really remember. My anger already engulfed my judgement. I couldn't believe somebody had the audacity to lay their hands on me. I knew it looked bad, but if she would've just listened, she would've realized it was a misunderstanding. Well, hopefully. Besides, it was too late. We were long past the point of rational thinking. It just turned into a shouting match.

"I can't believe you," Yuna continued. "How could you do this to me?!"

"You're the one who came over here assuming shit and laid your fucking hands on me!"

"You fucking bitch!"

That was the first time we fought. We got suspended for a week and my parents weren't too happy, though Mom was a bit more lenient than Dad was. Sora made the effort to make fun of me every day I was stuck in the house. And I discovered that Shiki liked to skip school and often bring a boy home when our parents were at work. I was subject to suffering from very unflattering moans from down the hall.

Despite the unofficial house arrest, Neku would always come to visit me and sneak into my room when my parents were away. He explained things to me and made Yuna out to be a controlling, bossy, and possessive bitch that he couldn't deal with any longer. He expressed his "deep regret" over having cheated on her, but he was just so "in love" with me that he couldn't help himself.

Bullshit.

I fell for it, anyway. I didn't know any better. It wasn't long before Neku and I became official. Yuna wasn't very happy about that, to put it mildly. We've been going at it ever since. She'd cheap shot me, I'd cheap shot her back. It took a while for things to settle down again, but the tension never dispersed. I guess I can't blame her for hating me.

"Look," I say. "I've said I'm sorry about fifty million times. What more do you want from me?"

"Sorry doesn't do shit for me. It can't change the past!"

I sigh. "You're right." I place a hand on my hip and slouch my shoulders. "But haven't you ever thought to ask me my side of the story? You won't even hear me out."

"Your side of the story?" She scoffs. "As if I care. What is left for me to understand? You stole my boyfriend fro—"

She's baffled when Zidane places a hand on her shoulder. "There's a difference between failing to understand and failing to listen, you know."

She pauses, presumably looking for a scenario to justify herself. When she turns up empty-handed, I continue. "I didn't know you two were dating. For the last time, he never mentioned you. If he had, I would've wanted nothing to do with him, at least until you two called it quits. And you know how manipulative Neku can be. I didn't know he was using me to cheat."

"You're just saying that..."

"I'm not. Because... I know how you feel. He played you, right?" I give a bittersweet smile. "That makes two of us."

She pouts. "Serves you right."

"You don't have to forgive me, but understand where I'm coming from. I am tired of fighting. I am so done with us trying to kill each other all the time. I'm not saying let's be BFFs, but let's forget about it already."

Stubborn as she is, I'm not surprised that she refuses to look me in the face. Though, she seems mellower than before. "I don't know if I can. I just—I really liked him, okay? He made me feel special."

"Yeah, he does that..."

"Neku was the first one where I felt... like he truly cared for me. Aside from Mother, anyway. She would've never hurt me. My father, on the other hand..."

"...What'd he do to you?" Zidane asks.

Yuna has the spotlight. Even Hayner and Fuu have seemed to tear their eyes away from their distractions. She bites her lips. "He certainly wasn't father of the year. I have the bumps to prove it. Emotionally and physically, I suppose."

"He hit you?" I ask.

She nods meekly. "A lot. My mother, as well. I don't recall ever hearing one word of affection spoken from his drunken stupor. I understand he had tough hours at work but... it was no excuse."

"Sorry you had to go through that," Zidane says sincerely.

"Besides, he left us. Good riddance." She chuckles to herself. "Why am I telling you all this? I've never shared this with anyone but Rikku and Paine. The point being that Neku made me feel important. Like I was finally worth something to someone. He made up for what my dimwit of a father lacked. So, when I found that even he didn't truly love me, either..." Her eyes begin to well up. "And it's happened yet again."

"Again...?" Zidane asks.

"I broke up with Tidus the other day," she admits. "Honestly, I had been suspecting that he was cheating on me for a while. I'm not an idiot. I was just in denial for a long time. So, that day I saw him with his hands wrapped around Xion's waist, I took my frustration out on her. He grew tired of me constantly hounding over him to give me his phone, asking where he was going, and just being... well, crazy old me, I suppose. He got so angry that he admitted to cheating on me—multiple times—with numerous other girls."

Zidane and I share a worried glance. I feel my heart drop, knowing I was one of those other girls. In my defense, it was against my will. Still...

"Yuna, I had no idea..." I say.

"Forget it. I'm okay. I'm not even surprised this time. I couldn't even be upset—I saw it coming. I'm just sick of everything, okay? Everybody leaves me, anyway. What made me think this time would be any different?" She rubs the tears away and puts her glasses back on. "I've always been alone, and I'll always be alone."

"That's not true!" Zidane exclaims. "I know it seems bad now, but give it time. You'll realize that these jackasses probably taught you something important. Pain and suffering isn't all bad. You can't learn without 'em. They're the seeds for growth."

Why is it that I see myself in all the people I once considered enemies? I place both hands on her shoulders. "He's not wrong. Don't worry. We're not judging you." I look to Zidane for support. "Right?"

"Yeah, of course!" he says with a quick nod once he takes the hint.

She keeps her eyes on the floor. "You don't have to be alone," I assure her. "I'm just starting to learn that, too. In that way, maybe we're not so different."

She sighs. "You're surprisingly a sap, Spades..."

I giggle to that. I blame it on that freaking Roxas. What the hell has he done to me? Making me feel sympathetic and shit. "I'm sorry, Yuna."

"If you honestly didn't know he was already taken, then perhaps I can let bygones be bygones. And..." she trails. "I suppose I'm sorry for never having took the time to truly listen to your side of things."

I punch her on the shoulder. "You're still a controlling bitch, though."

Zidane applauds. "Now would you look at that? I'm proud of you guys! Putting the past behind you like that."

Eventually, Demyx and Hayner join in. Yeah, just make it even more sappy and embarrassing for me. Fuu doesn't seem very impressed, though it's not easy to tell with her. I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Could've happened sooner if somebody weren't such a drama queen."

Yuna frowns. "As if you can talk. You guys better not tell anybody what I told you. I don't even know why I just told you."

"Don't sweat it," Zidane says. "You were emotionally vulnerable. It happens."

She gags. "Ugh... why are you always right?"

He rubs his nose. "Heh heh, secret."

"Hey, I'm happy for you guys and all, but uh, how long does it take Mr. McCartney to take a leak?" asks Demyx. He makes a good point.

Zidane checks his phone. "Uh oh. My friend just sent like eight text messages. He's waiting outside."

"Are we even free to go?" I wonder aloud. But Mr. McCartney strolls back into the classroom right on cue with a whistle, looking carefree as can be. We stare at him expectantly.

He returns the stare, albeit confusedly. "Wait, you guys are still here? You know you could've left half an hour ago, right?"

This bastard. I think everybody simultaneously drops their jaw.

"We seriously could've left this whole time?" Yuna says.

"Thanks for the heads up, Teach..." Demyx is already out the door, his sitar strapped to his back.

As we curse at McCartney for being an irresponsible monitor, we gather our items and prepare to leave this hellhole. I can't believe I'm actually excited to go to work. It's ten times better than here. But before I leave, I stop by the door and take a moment to stop by Yuna.

"We still hate each other, right?" I ask.

"Of course."

"Good." At this point, it would be weird if we didn't.

 ** _S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S_**

I headed straight for the bathroom to change into my Shoyu Shoyu uniform. Despite that his friend is probably cursing at him for already being about fifteen minutes late, Zidane insisted on walking me outside. The kid is just too persistent for his own good. And thirsty as all hell.

Upon seeing me in my work clothes, he can't keep a straight face. "Cute."

I make a face at him and proceed downstairs. "Hurry up."

"Whatever you say, beautiful."

Ugh, that fucking word again. "By the way, you never answered my question. How come you had Saturday school?"

He chuckles. "Uh... well... I kinda... super glued one of my teacher's butts to his chair."

"How... cliché?"

"He was picking on this kid in class and I couldn't sit back and watch it happen anymore. The kid was quiet and didn't even do anything bad and the teacher just kept trying to humiliate him for no reason. So I played a little prank on him to even the odds, heh heh."

"What a badass."

"I know, right? I'm so awesome."

"I was being sarcastic."

"Suuuure you were." He nudges me a little. "Admit it, you're totally into me, aren't you?"

"We just met." I scoff. "Who's picking you up, anyways?" I ask as exit the double doors leading to the front.

"He's my best buddy—"

"There you are!" We stop in our tracks to find Roxas waiting for me in his car. "Let's get a move on."

"Oh, there's my ride," we say... in unison?

We freeze, furrowing our brows at one another.

Roxas chuckles. "Come on, kids. Big Daddy Roxy hasn't got all day!"

And it all makes sense.

* * *

Okay, I'm a bit nervous about this chapter. It's very dialogue heavy, and the main point of it is character development, not moving the plot forward much. But I really needed to get this off my chest. No worries, the help she asked Kairi for last chapter will pop back up again.

Oh, almost forgot to thank **TheNotSoTalentedPoet** for beta reading this one!

I'm also worried because the last chapter didn't get the greatest response. I don't think as many people read it, and I'm not sure if this chapter is action-packed enough to regain interest. It's really dialogue heavy but I hope the characters are at least interesting enough to hold it up. Maybe? Kinda? Idk guys, I'm really anxious about this one...

There were a few references and nods in this one, like Hayner's video game addiction was a nod to Kyorii, since he was always portrayed as a loser in her old Teenage Wasteland fics.

Newcomer: Zidane Tribal!

So I've been getting into FF9 a lot recently and I fell in love with Zidane, so I had to add him to this story. Plus, I didn't want Roxas to be the only guy in Xion's circle of friends. Don't worry, I'm not going to make this one of those clusterfuck friend circles you see in some games or anime sometimes. Those can get ridiculous sometimes lol

I know I've used Zidane's name before but... those never happened! This is the TRUE Zidane. Besides, before that I didn't really know his character much at all.

Also, random, but I've been thinking about what voice actors I imagine to be the voices for the characters of this fic. Some of them I can see staying true to canon like with Roxas, I can kind of hear Jesse McCartney in some of his lines (who was a teacher this chapter btw xD). But for Xion, I don't hear Hayden Panettiere and definitely not Alyson Stoner. I hear a dry, sarcastic ass voice but I'm not sure who lol you guys have any ideas? Also, I imagine Hayner of this fic to have the voice of Yosuke from Persona 4. Oh, and Kairi I imagine as Chie from that game too. It's weird.

Anyways, I'm sidetracking.

Oh, speaking of Persona 4, I can't take credit for Zidane's line about failing to understand and failing to listen. Got that line from that game x)

Also, I want to give a HUGE shoutout to my friend **SummonerDagger88,** she is seriously amazing and I've had so much fun with her the past few months! I love her so much, I really do x.x she drew me this picture, even though she didn't intend for it to be a cover photo but I just want to show it off for you guys because I love it and she said she was thinking of our friendship while she made it. THE DIABETES... IT HURTS SO GOOD.

Edit: This story refuses to change the picture, it insists on keeping it as Xion and Roxas (which is admittedly more fitting) but the pic is on my profile. Go to her Deviant Art too, it's the same name!

Thanks so much to **Guest, Snow. x. Fairy, JDI Jasper, MetallicMedallion, Escape the Shadow, DUSoft, ForsakenXIII, SummonerDagger88, and The Sage of 1000 Games** for reviewing as well!

Special shoutouts to my other homies **BlissfulNightRain and Sinful Serenata** for their reviews as well!

Okay this AN has gone on long enough k love you guyz bai!

 **#bananasquad**


	14. Misfortune

**Chapter 14**

"You got _FIRED_ from Shoyu Shoyu yesterday?"

Of course, and he just had to say it like that. Screw you, Roxas. I feel terrible enough already. Don't need you muddying it up with your condescending ways. I hope that through my facial transmission of two very displeased cerulean optics that he understands just what kind of mood he's dealing with.

"Yes, I got _fired_ from Shoyu Shoyu yesterday." I make sure to use a tone mocking his own. He sends an apologetic grin and a soft chuckle. I love Roxas, but I can't tell if he's an intentional prick or if it's unintentional. Geez, maybe I should start working on my temper. Especially after last night. Nonetheless, I groan and lean against my fist. We sit on opposite ends of a bench table in the far back of the cafeteria, away from the chatter of the rest of the room serving as background noise to our own conversation. For the past week or so, Roxas and Zidane decided to sit with us at lunch instead of their other friends. Kairi, being the worrywart that she is, sits next to me with her routinely sympathetic gaze. Roxas and Zidane are situated across from us, digging into their lunch.

"Bummer..." Zidane murmurs, sounding empathetic. "I know! Maybe one of my esteemed backside massages will cheer you up."

"Uhh," I trail. "How—thoughtful of you, Zidane. But I think I'll pass..."

"Come on, guys," Kairi says. "Please be a little bit more considerate to how she's feeling, okay? Can't you see she's stressed?"

I can feel my cheeks getting warmer. Why is this so embarrassing? Shoyu Shoyu should have literally been the easiest job I could ask for and I blew it by being my usual dumb self. I tuck my hands into the crease of my thighs to keep them warm, shifting slightly to wade off the humiliation.

"How exactly did you get fired?" Roxas asks. "It happened right after we left?"

Kairi and I exchange glances. Her expression says _'you don't have to tell them if you don't want to.'_ But what's the use in hiding it? I think we've all established that I successfully fail at life no matter what I do, right? Right. So, let's just get it over with.

"It's kind of... um, embarrassing, but..."

 **Last Night...**

I hear a couple of wolf whistles in the short distance. "Yooo hooooo! Laaaraaaa!"

Ugh. Fucking Roxas. He and Zidane have been poking fun at Kairi and I all freaking afternoon. They keep ordering just so that we'll stop by their table, and lucky for them, it's not a busy day. They can pretty much be as obnoxious as they want. They've taken advantage of this golden opportunity to tease us any chance they get. The reason being? Well, it's Halloween. You know what that means?

Costumes...

To my surprise, my boss is a big fan of Halloween. He even decked out our restaurant just to get into the spooky spirit. The interior of Shoyu Shoyu is decorated in orange lights hung across the cobblestone walls, there's a creepy jack-o-lantern sitting on the podium next to the entrance ready to give a warm welcome to anybody willing to spend their Halloween eating noodles or curry instead of giving out candy to kids, and what would Halloween be without costumes? So, in traditional Halloween fashion (seriously, who invented this stupid holiday?), Kairi and I, among other co-workers, were elected to wear certain outfits to "appeal" to potential customers by Mr. Highwind. I'm sure you know where this is going.

What's worse is that we didn't have much of a say in what we'd get to wear. It boiled down to two options. In a typically sexist fashion, the girls were given one objectifying option to send the male (or female, if you go that way) demographic into a libidinous frenzy, and one less objectifying option that can still appeal to that targeted demographic but also pass for family-friendly audiences.

Kairi got stuck with the completely original and never before seen Harley Quinn costume. Her outfit consists of a jacket that's split between red and blue down the middle, her hair tied into pigtails, a faint wash of white face paint, and considering she had to keep it somewhat PG, we went with skinny jeans instead of the "too short to be shorts" shorts. Me? I was nominated for the Lara Croft outfit. I wear an ash colored tank top, shorts rolled up to the top of my thighs, boots, and a holster for fake firearm props.

Meanwhile, Terra has been texting me back and forth all evening. He seems to not understand the concept of a job, because it's like he's demanding for me to come and meet him when I'm on my shift. I send him a text message that politely tells him to fuck off and shut my phone down before Cid just so happens to exit the back kitchen without warning.

"Laraaaaa," Roxas whines.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Groaning, I tend to the boys while they barely stifle their chuckles amongst themselves. "What do you want now?"

Zidane gently takes my hand as if he were some kind of gentleman. "Is your number on the menu, madam?" he asks with a kiss to my hand. "Mind if I raid your tomb?"

As my response, I take the liberty of snatching my arm away and hitting him on the back of his head instead.

He rubs the sore spot. "Playin' hard to get, eh?"

"D'aww, leave her alone," Roxas says. "Maybe she's just cranky that she didn't find any artifacts on her last expedition."

They chuckle at my expense. Sometimes, I just can't with these guys. This has been going on for the past hour. They seem insistent on spouting the same three jokes every time Kairi and I walk past. They'll raise their eyebrows at us suggestively and make weird slurping noises or flirtatious kissy sounds with their lips.

"Don't you two have things to do?" I ask while rolling my eyes.

"Probably. But whatever it is, it can't beat witnessing this," Roxas says. "This is golden."

"Well, it was either this or a sexy nurse outfit. What did you guys _want_ me to do?" After realizing the implications of that question, I cut them off before either can annoy me with their predictable sex innuendos. "Don't answer that. Why don't you idiots just leave now?"

Roxas sticks his tongue out and playfully pouts like an immature child that didn't get his way. "Meanie weanie...!"

"Yeah, lighten up," Zidane adds. "At least you look hot!"

"What's the big deal about this, anyway?" I ask, examining my current attire. "It's just a costume, and not even a particularly revealing one. I would literally wear this on a regular day of summer."

"But this is you we're talking about." Roxas snickers. "There's this weird satisfaction that comes with seeing you two actually cosplaying while also having to serve us. Aren't you cute as a button?" He pokes my exposed belly button and I quickly slap his finger away while shielding my tummy. Totally not because it tickled or anything...

"Xion." Kairi approaches me and tugs on my shoulder with her phone attached to her left ear. "Uh, can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

"Gotta say, Kairi. You sure do fill out that costume nicely," Zidane says with a mischievous spark in his eye.

I'm sure Kairi would be blushing, if only slightly, were it not for her face being concealed behind face paint. "Thank you? Well, I did have fun with the makeup and all, but I had a tough time trying to—"

"Silence!" I interrupt before she fuels more of their lame jokes. "Do not provoke their nonsense!"

"Say, Harley," Roxas intervenes. "Can I tell you a joke? Let me tell you, it's a _killer_." Judging by our mutual set of monotonous eyes, I think it's safe to say that we're both unamused.

"What's wrong, Harley?" Zidane asks. "I could be your new puddin', if ya know what I mean." He winks her way. "You can dip into me whenever you like."

"Give her a break," says Roxas. "I'd be upset too if my girl were a criminally insane killer who wore white makeup and a clown getup while trying to kill a man in a bat costume." He feigns embarrassment with a gasp, as if what he just said slipped out on accident. "I mean—no offense, Harley."

"Okay. Out you go," I say while pulling Roxas up by his arm. Kairi does the same and tends to Zidane. "I think we've heard quite enough out of you two."

While pushing them towards the exit, we ignore their lame protests and irrelevant reasoning to stay since they've already paid for their food and only remained seated to continue with their constant teasing. Roxas turns his head back to me halfway, bulging his lower lip. "Party poopers..."

"Can't we at least get a goodnight kiss?" Zidane asks in a whiny voice. "I'll treat you better than that _clown_ you were with before, Harley. I promise I won't throw you out of a window."

"Shoo!" she says in response.

"Yeah, we can go on a double date!" Roxas chimes in. "Maybe rock climbing. I'm sure you'd really enjoy that, right Lara?"

"Out!" I yell once we finally shove them out the door. They laugh their way over to Roxas' car while waving us off and we return their goodbyes. Kairi retires her attention to me with a grave look. The atmosphere certainly dims at the boys exit.

"What?" I ask.

Her eyebrows lower at a gentle pace. "You're on your way?" Kairi asks, this time speaking into her phone. She looks unusually tense. "Please hurry up." She slumps her shoulders and sighs with a look that's borderline begging for forgiveness.

I take a step back with a defensive stance. She's looking too serious for comfort. Please don't tell me somebody died. "What'd you do?"

"Forgive me!" Kairi fake sobs and throws her arms around my upper body. Uh... what? Stiff and confused, I dart my eyes all over hoping that she'll give me some context. "Please don't hate me! Please don't hate me! Please don't hate me!"

"What?" I repeat for the third time in a row. "Girl, what did you do?"

Kairi backs away, looking a bit hesitant to touch me again before taking a quick peek outside. With the coast clear, she takes my hand and leads me to the back kitchen area. Luckily, nobody else seems to be around to eavesdrop.

She takes a deep breath. "Please don't be mad at me."

"Will you get to the point already?" I impatiently set my hands on my hips. "You didn't wet yourself again, did you?"

"No! That was years ago and we promised to never speak of that again!" She releases what seems to be an incoherent mixture of an irritated groan and a hesitant sigh. "So, remember a couple of weeks ago? You said you were being blackmailed and needed my help to find a girl named Aqua."

Thank you for the exposition. "Yeah, I was actually going to ask you for an update status." I pull out my phone and tap the Mognet app. "I've been social media stalking forever but there's so many Aqua's in the universe."

Kairi perks up, her face shining brightly. "Well, good news! I think I might've found our Aqua!"

Suddenly, I'm beginning to find her enthusiasm contagious. "No way!"

"Ugh, yeah. And it was a nightmare. First of all, there are seriously way too many people named Aqua. Aqua Hassan, Aqua Aquarius, even Aqua Marine... I mean, seriously, I never knew Aqua was such a common name—"

"Kairi."

"Oh, yeah." She pulls out her phone and begins swiping away with her thumb. "Well, I found out that there isn't anybody named Aqua in Twilight Town. But there is a girl who graduated from Twilight High last year. Let me see if I can find her... here she is. Aqua Holland. But she lives a few worlds away and we'd have to board a flight to meet with her."

"Did you get in contact with her?"

She shakes her head. "I sent a message asking if we could meet, but she hasn't responded yet. In fact, she hasn't been online in a couple of weeks. But she goes to Daybreak University in Daybreak Town."

"Daybreak Town?" I wonder aloud. Daybreak Town is a couple of hours from here, even by a gummi train. It's not terribly far, but Terra doesn't strike me as the long-distance type. But if this Aqua used to go to our school, then she's the best chance we've got.

Kairi twirls her finger on one of the ends of her pigtails with her tongue poked slightly out to the side. It's one of her many faces when in deep thought. "Besides, I don't think she'd be willing to meet up with two total strangers like this."

"Then let's just go to Daybreak Town," I suggest. "She's not going to say yes if we ask, so we might as well just go there and explain the situation. It'll be a nice excuse to get out of Twilight Town."

"That's what I was thinking." Kairi returns to her previous grim expression. "That's where the bad news comes in..."

We're possibly a few short steps away from having some dirt on that piece of shit, Terra. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad. "Lay it on me. My body is ready."

She bites her lip. "So... Daybreak University is a college for Keyblade wielders in training and they're pretty protective of their students. You can't just walk on campus. You need an I.D before you can even step foot on their property. The only exception is if you're with somebody who already attends the school, and even then, you need to go through a procedure for safety precautions."

"Okay?" I almost laugh. Is that her big bad news? I was thinking she was going to say the school was hit by a wrecking ball or something to that degree. "We'll just find somebody who goes to Daybreak Uni and kindly ask for a favor."

"Yeah... way ahead of you." She shifts her shoulders uncomfortably and inches past me into waiting area. "I asked a bunch of people who go to Daybreak Uni, but only one person was willing to do it."

I follow her outside. "Well, who did you find that could—" I freeze in my tracks, cutting myself off mid-sentence.

I can physically feel my heartrate increase with each passing second. Sorry for the momentary interruption of this program, just allow me to quickly proceed through the five stages of denial. Or is it grief? Gah, who cares? All I want to know is...

"What thee actual fuck are you doing here? _You_ go to Daybreak?"

Neku motherflipping Sakuraba winces at the tone in my voice. He sits at the table just ahead of where Zidane and Roxas were earlier. He tugs on the collar of his purple hoodie. "Surprise?" I can feel my eye twitch. "You look good in that outfit, by the way."

Wha...?

No.

No. No. No. No. No.

Just no. No way in hell am I relying on him to take me anywhere. I mean, seriously? Of all people she could have gotten? _This_ is what she brings me?! What a slap in the fucking face! Has irony gone to an all-time low of trolling?

Still going through some denial symptoms, I find myself chuckling. Albeit, rather humorlessly. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I currently possessed warning signals of a potentially psychotic and deranged serial killer right now. Mmm, a bowl of Neku's blood does sound appetizing... With wide eyes, I crane my wicked and possibly nightmare-inducing grin towards Kairi and she instinctively cowers beneath my wrath.

"Kairi..." I say in a low and dark voice, making her murmur with fright. "What... the hell... is this?"

"Don't kill me!" she squeals.

Repressing my anger, I clutch her by the arm and give my ex-boyfriend an insincere smile. "Will you excuse us for a moment?" I drag Kairi right back into the kitchen and cross my arms, expecting answers. "You better have a damn good explanation for this!" At this point, I don't even care if anybody can hear our conversation.

"I'm sorry!" She takes my hands into hers with eyes pleading for mercy and forgiveness. "But Neku goes to Daybreak University. Trust me, he was the very _last_ person I contacted! But he was the only one willing and available to do it. So... I thought you might want to at least know you had an option. I didn't want to just not tell you..."

"Then why didn't you discuss this with me beforehand? Why bring him here?"

"He insisted..." she admits, regretfully. "He knew you'd upright reject the idea if I brought it up to you, so he said he'd only do it if he got to see you in person. He wanted a chance to convince you himself. And since it's a slow business day, I figured it was an okay time..."

"So, you set this up behind my back? Kairi, you traitor!"

She whimpers. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Pleeeeaase, forgive me!"

Daybreak Town is about six hours away from here. There's no way I'm spending six hours of my life with that piece of shit just to get info about another piece of shit I have to deal with. Why is my life full of so many pieces of shit?!

I shake my head indefinitely with a sharp finger pointed at the door. "Nope. Nuh uh. Not a chance in hell. There's no way I'm going anywhere with that... that... orange pineapple!"

"...Orange pineapple?"

Yeah, maybe not my greatest insult of all-time. I rub my temples out of frustration. "I'm stressed, okay?"

"And I totally get that!" She takes my hands once again, clammy and moist. "Honestly, this whole thing seems a bit crazy. Travelling worlds just to find some girl we don't know? Just to learn more about Terra, of all people? Would our parents even allow that? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea in the first place..."

So I'm supposed to just continue to take shit from Terra? Then again, I'm not even sure if I'd be able to pile up enough money for it. Sigh. What's the use? This was a stupid idea. But I always have stupid ideas, so it's nothing new. "I guess so..."

"Uh, excuse me...?" Neku's voice rings from outside. I kick the door open and scowl at him viciously. "You guys know I can hear you, right?"

I blink. "Then you'll know that we don't want you here. So please, remove yourself from the area."

"Chill out," he says in a low voice, leaning back in his seat with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. "Same old Xion, I guess. We need to talk."

I let go of Kairi and set my fists on my hips with a pointed stare. "We need to talk?"

"Yeah. Could you get me a soda or something?" I cross my arms and my glare intensifies. Neku offers a hint of a smile, something I don't see from him very often. "Please?" I roll my eyes and stomp my way into the back. "W-Wait—I want a Paopu Punch, though."

Meh, I'll just get him a lemon lime soda—extra sour. He hates sour.

Kairi decides to look for our co-workers, presumably to give us some privacy. After retrieving his drink, I return to his table maintaining my former grimace. His presence disgusts me. I feel dirty just being here in front of him. After inspecting the drink and concluding that I didn't get him what he asked for, he wears a jaded but unsurprised look.

"Thanks," he says dryly and he reaches for it.

I back my hand away. "First, tell me what you want. Then you can drink your stupid soda."

"Do you really need to ask?" His expression softens. "Xion... I wanted to sort things out. About what happened... it was a mistake. I'm sorry. I miss you."

"You miss me?" I scoff. "Well, that's fantastic news! All is forgiven! We'll pretend like nothing happened! Come on, let's go make out! Is that what you were expecting with a half-assed 'I miss you'? You miss what? You miss treating me like I'm your one and only while you go messing with another girl behind my back?"

He looks a bit stung by the jab. "Xion, I—"

"Excuse me. Multiple other girls. Pardon my memory." I grit my teeth slightly at the thought of it. "Oh, but _I'm_ special and you just _had_ to get me back. Is that right?"

It's a few moments before he speaks up again. "Look, I know it—"

"Save it. How about you just get out of here? Looks like you need some new clothes."

He darts his eyes with confusion. "Uh... what?"

With that, I decide to open his soda and pour the contents right atop of his tangerine scalp. He flinches and drops his head at the sudden sensation, allowing the sudsy fluid to drip down his spiky orange locks and onto his lap. His subtle writhing is actually making my day a lot brighter. Seeing people I hate suffer is surprisingly healthy for the soul. Who knew? I smile and drop the empty can in his lap. "Have a nice day!"

Satisfied, I dust my hands and spin on my heel.

But as the Xion luck goes, I find myself wiping that triumphant smirk right off my face when I spot Cid glaring at me from the kitchen door. He leans against the doorframe with his arms folded, silently gnawing on a toothpick. Considering how much I've messed up and the amount of money I've singlehandedly costed him for the past few weeks, I don't think this is going to end very well. I even got a warning notice last week. And Cid does not tolerate mistreatment towards a customer.

At all.

"So..." I say with a soft voice. I tie my arms behind my back and lightly graze my foot against the wooden floor. "I'll just... return my uniform tomorrow?"

"Sounds about right."

 **Present...**

"Xion, you're my homegirl and all," Roxas says, "but you can be pretty scary sometimes..."

Can I even argue against that at this point? "I know," I sigh.

"Well, she's been that way ever since we were children," Kairi says with a faint giggle as she peels the skin from her orange.

"Ever thought about anger management classes?" Roxas asks. Though it was said in a teasing way, I can't help but feel like there was some sincerity to that question.

"Maybe," I mumble softly.

"So, you guys are trying to find out more about Terra?" Roxas asks. "Why? And why his girlfriend? Come to think of it, how come you've been hanging out with Terra so much anyway? I've been seeing you guys together a lot more than I would've expected. Don't tell me you guys are secretly dating."

"What is this? An interrogation?" I scoff. "And no, I'm not dating Terra. Not in a billion fucking years."

His features falter, looking slightly saddened and I'm filled with another wave of guilt. Maybe I should get into meditating or something to ease this freaking temper. "Did I hit a nerve?" he asks.

"Sorry, I just..." I sigh. "I don't want to talk about it right now." Kairi places a supportive hand on my shoulder.

"But damn. Multiple girls?" Zidane says, trying to relieve the tension. "Who just goes around skirt-chasing with multiple women at a time? What a pig." We give a Zidane a stare. "What?" he asks, defensively.

"You're not very self-aware, are you?" Kairi asks.

While Zidane scratches his head in confusion, I notice Roxas giving me a soft grin with a certain sophistication settled in his gaze. It makes me shrink, if only slightly. I don't think he realizes how intimidating his confidence can be at times. Not that it's entirely a bad thing. I shift my shoulders a little bit. "What is it?"

"So, you're unemployed," he says with a sly voice.

"That was the entire point of my ten-minute recollection of yesterday proving just how impulsive I am with clear temperament issues—yes. Not seeing where you're going."

He smirks, the smugness of all making me see clearly into his indications. My eyes widen and he nods to confirm my bewilderment, as if our minds were in unison.

"No," I resound.

"Yes," Roxas returns.

"No."

"Yes!" he says, excitedly.

"No!" I return.

"Yes!" Kairi intervenes. After a brief awkward silence, she pauses and withdraws from the conversation. She returns to cutting her orange. "I-I just wanted to be a part of something..."

I return my focus to Roxas. "No," I repeat.

"Aww," Roxas groans. "You said you'd think about it."

"And I've thought about it. I concluded that I would like to maintain my dignity for at least ten more years of my life."

"You're too hard on yourself," Roxas says. "Just think, you could be a hit! It'd be a great way to build some confidence."

I roll my eyes. "Oh, sure. And if I'm a flop, I'll probably just jump off a balcony to end my misery."

"Care to fill to us in on whatever you guys are talking about?" Zidane asks. "I feel out of the loop here."

Only the dumbest idea I think Roxas has ever conceived. I cross my arms and avert my head to avoid Roxas and his incessant grin. "It's nothing," I assure him.

"I want her to work at Seventh Heaven with me," he says. "My uncle owns the club and I've been trying to pull some strings to get her a job there for the longest. I really want her to sing."

"Oh, yeah!" Kairi claps. "I thought that was a great idea!"

"Right?" Roxas shrugs nonchalantly. "And Ms. Prune-face here is being difficult. But what else is new?"

"So, what's the issue?" Kairi asks. "You're an amazing singe—" I growl threateningly at her like Old Yeller and she quickly clears her throat. "I mean, um, if she doesn't want to do it, then uh, that's final."

"See?" I return to Roxas with a smug grin. "Kairi agrees."

Roxas shakes his head. "Yeah, as long as you don't start frothing from the mouth. Don't you see? It's a sign!"

I sigh. "It's a sign?"

"Uh, yaaah," he says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Not only did you majorly suck at your job the entire time you were there, no offense—"

"None taken."

"—but you got fired from it in the exact time when my uncle is looking for extra talent! It's getting a bit stale, you know? Just me and Tifa, every weekend. They need something new and fresh to make the rotation feel like less of a chore to get through."

"So, I'm just there to help make you guys less boring? Gotcha."

"You know that's not it." He sounds a tad annoyed. "It's for you, too. You're holding yourself back too much. You think too lowly of yourself and don't try to deny it either. You try not to let it on, like you're super confident all the time, but come on." He smiles. "Face it. You need to be reminded of how amazing of a person I think you truly are."

I'm taken back by his sudden sincerity. Is he really saying all of this in front of the others? Doesn't he know how embarrassing this is? And what about me does he find so "amazing"? Honestly, why does he even hang out with me? I still have no clue. Couldn't he have at least waited until we were alone to get all sappy on me? I'm reminded of this when I hear Kairi and her soft squeals. I'm 90% positive that she pretty much ships me and Roxas at this point.

"So, when you proposing, man?" Zidane asks, nudging him in the side.

Roxas playfully nudges him back with a chuckle. "I'm serious. I think it could really help you out. Come _onnnn._ Help a brother out and just say yes, already! I'm tired of begging..."

Me? Singing? I'm not sure. The crowd at Seventh Heaven seemed pretty tough, too. I don't think I'm ready to face more rejection. Would people even like my style? I'm probably so rusty. Maybe I've lost my voice? What if I get cold feet? I've performed before, but that was for school, and I was always with the other students in my vocal class. And it wasn't like I was getting audited for solos either.

"Not sure how much my advice means, but I say go for it," Zidane says, snapping me out of it.

I can't help but chuckle. How cute of him, but... "You haven't even heard me sing before."

He returns the smile with a shake of his head. "I don't have to. But I do know that Roxas has a point. You could use some spirit lifting. We can see it in your eyes. I think you might just be over analyzing a bit too much. It's okay to make mistakes."

"But what's not okay is dwelling on them," Roxas finishes.

Geez. Roxas always has a way of making me feel smaller. I'm sure he probably thinks he's some sage of wisdom with the way he can just ease into quotable motivational speeches like this. In that regard, he and Zidane are a lot alike.

"Wow. I'm impressed, you two," Kairi says with a gentle applause. "You actually have the mental capacities to be somewhat intelligent. Especially you, Zidane. And here I was thinking all you thought about were girls."

Of course, being Zidane, he just had to ruin whatever sophistication he gained by crossing his arms and sporting that grin of determination, as I like to call it. "I'm pretty awesome, huh?" But that's just Zidane for you.

"It's really sweet of you guys and I appreciate the support," I assure them. "But I just don't think I'm ready to be taking on something like that. I'm not saying no, but..." My mind wanders back to Terra. "I guess I just have some things to sort out for myself."

Roxas sighs, looking a bit disappointed by the admittedly vague answer. "Fair enough," he says. In the end, he tries to remain supportive. "No matter what you decide, I'm with you, okay?" Zidane loudly clears his throat. "I mean, uh, ahem, _we're_ all with you," Roxas says with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head.

Somehow, I find the will to let out a faint chuckle. "Thank you."

 ** _S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S_**

I return to a hollow home.

It's a strange feeling coming straight home from school instead of catching the bus with Kairi to Shoyu Shoyu. It's been a while. I already got used to the new routine. I don't think I'm used to entering the front door with it being virtually silent in here, though.

Now, I _should_ be hearing my dad in the living room watching TV, Shiki, either cooking or stealing stuff from my room (and that's just on the rare occasion that she's ever home), and Sora out in the backyard practicing for the struggle tournament. None of these scenarios seem to be currently unfolding. In fact, every room is empty. Confused, I drag myself upstairs with an anchor tied to my ankle. At least I'll be able to look forward to a nap since it's nice and quiet around here for once.

Or not.

I enter my room to find Sora waiting on my bed. Normally, I'd immediately resort to shouting expletives and kicking him out, since he knows damn well I don't like a soul stepping foot in my room—and that's when I'm in here. God forbid you dare trespass when I'm _not_ home. But the fact that he himself isn't looking particularly peachy this afternoon and, more notably, is holding an ice pack over his eye, it makes me repress my anger for once. Instead, I drop my bag and approach him with genuine concern.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he says with a grim voice that communicates that he is anything but fine.

I take a hold of his arm and try to pull it away to get a better look. "Let me see—"

"Agh!" He winces. "Stop it, will you? I can't move it too much without it stinging. Geez. What's the matter with you?"

"What happened?" I repeat, ignoring his cry-babying. "Did you get into a fight?"

After a moment, he turns his head. "You could say that."

"Why? What happened? Where's Dad and Shiki?"

"They weren't here when I got home," he says. "I called Shiki and she drove Dad over to the hospital to get his leg checked out. He might be ready to take the cast off and lose the crutches."

"Well, that's good," I say, though a bit less enthusiastic than I'd like to. I'm a bit more concerned as to why my brother is covered in bruises. I take a seat next to him on my bed and somewhat forcefully tug on his arm to pull the ice pack away from his eye. "Let me see."

"Nyagh! Xion!"

"Oh, will you hush already? Stop being a baby. Now, let me see." He finally relents and allows me to use both of my hands to turn his face towards mine. I examine his injuries and a silent horror takes me over. Somebody really messed him up. "Oh my god... who did this to you?"

His face is swollen, notably around his cavity area. He's rocking the half-racoon hybrid look with a honker of a black eye. Still, he refuses to give me any sort of eye contact. "I was out getting groceries. I ran into this guy named Tidus in the Market Place. He was with two of his buddies."

"O-Oh... yeah?" I don't think I like where this is going.

Sora takes a firm grasp of my forearms and lowers them to my side, proceeding to shift his body back to the front. He keeps his eyes on the carpet, his hands clasping the ice pack. "I know."

I gulp. "You know what?"

"Xion," he says with his tone beginning to rise in levels of impatience. "Don't play dumb with me. Not even joking." He shakes his head frustratingly. "Man, I always wondered how in the world you were making all of that money. I should've seen it sooner."

No way. He can't mean...?

"Yeah," he says, as if reading my mind. "Your little secret? It's not a secret anymore."

* * *

THE PLOT THICKENS.

Now Sora knows? I certainly hope that cliffhanger gets you guys excited for the next chapter haha! Let me know what you guys think in a review! Please, feel free to be as constructive and critical as you want. Things you like, things you don't like, etc. I put a lot of effort in this chapter so I would really appreciate anybody who takes the time to say something and let me know that what I'm doing is worth continuing :)

What do you guys think is going to happen? What's Sora going to say? Did Terra break his promise? How will Xion react to this? Find out next time, on the next episode of DBZ!

Big shoutout to my beta reader, **superspreegirl89** for beta reading not only this chapter, but all 14 of them! She's been a really big help and I can't thank her enough.

So as a favor, I just wanted to shoutout **Levi Xavier** and spread the word about this project that he's working on called **Masters of Speed!** It's a big project he's really excited for and I'm sure he would appreciate it if any of you guys would out of the kindness of your yellowy banana hearts that you'd check out his story whenever it comes out. Here's a brief run-through of the plot, copy and pasted from his profile:

 **Here's how the plot of the story will go: as a result of an overload of energy coming from two universes simultaneously, Sonic the Hedgehog and Ruby Rose have switched worlds. Each of them must now adjust to the role of the other and deal with the different worldly customs. The only way to set things right is to collect all seven Chaos Emeralds, which have been scattered across both of their worlds. The story's time setting is a few weeks after Sonic Lost World and during RWBY Volume 4 (and a little before). The overall tone of the story will be more on the serious side with a humor mixed into it.**

If this premise piques your interest, then please, head on over to his profile and give him a follow so that you'll be updated when the first chapter is out. I can tell he's really excited and will put a lot of effort into it, so please, by all means! There are lots of writers (me included) who really put in a ton of effort into these things, while they seem like silly fanfics to some of you guys, for some of us it's a form of escapism and a way to truly express ourselves. Hey and while you're at it, check out his forum page he made for the story as well! Come on, why not? Don't be lazy. It's free! Can't we all just agree that's the best word in the english language?

Now onto some guest responses!

 **ForsakenXIII:** I'm pretty happy to hear that Zidane got a pretty nice response from the last chapter! I tried to keep him as entertaining while also being true to his canon self. Ughhh ikr? Persona 4 is sooooo good, I did not expect to fall in love with it as much as I did. It's easily in like my top 5 fav games ever. And we'll be getting to more Roxas and Xion stuff soon! I know, I've had to put the development of their relationship on the backburner for a while, I kinda want to focus on them once I've completely unraveled most of the details of Xion's backstory, then we'll truly delve deeper into her and Roxas, and more of Roxas himself because I feel like we don't know much about him yet. But ya I'm happy to see that you've stuck around this long! Hope to see you in the future :)

 **Guest #1:** Haha yeah I know it seems like I ignored chapter 12 with last chapter, but I really wanted to resolve the whole Yuna thing really quickly, it was somewhat necessary because it led to the scene with Neku in this chapter here. But I didn't forget it of course, it all came back in this chapter. So she pretty much just asked Kairi to help her find Aqua (hopefully this time she isn't trapped in the realm of darkness..)

 **Guest #2:** I'm very sorry you're not impressed. Of course, you can't generalize how every person would act or react in a situation like this. Considering I've researched the general symptoms for what a rape victim goes through, I think I did an okay job. Also please consider that the events of last chapter happened weeks after the events of chapters 9-10, so while she's not 100%, she's a bit better than she was before. Also, again, you have to pay attention to the character and not just what's on the surface. Xion is not the type to be in her feelings for over-saturated periods of time, and especially not in public. In chapter 10, Kairi was the only one Xion allowed herself to be vulnerable around, and that was intentional. She's just not that type of person, she likes to keep things locked up inside. That's one of her main flaws as a character. The things you might think are plotholes or inconsistencies may not be as such, but intentional flaws within the character that we're gradually working on as the story progresses. You seem to be trying to apply logic to a character whose pride gets in the way of her rational thinking. But in real life, it doesn't always work like that. Sometimes life just happens, you know? That's why she's so impulsive and constantly makes stupid decisions, and she has done this since the start of the story lol but it's on purpose! It's not an accident or an oversight on my end. At least I don't think it is. Besides, I don't think I could write five or so chapters of her just grieving all the time you know? lol most of her coping was handled offscreen.

 **Guest #3:** Ikr? But the sex has never been the focal point of this story anyway. It's always been more about the characters and how they learn to open up and trust each other. So the sex has been put kind of on the backburner. I'm not exactly comfortable about writing lemons either, and I'm not going to write one if I feel that it's not adding much to the plot. But if the time comes, I'll do my best ^^

 **Guest #4:** Thank you so much! I'm very happy you enjoyed the last chapter! I think I'm far from amazing, I still have a lot left to work on haha but I appreciate that sooo much and I hope you stick around and hear more from you in the future :)

Special thanks to every **guest, ForsakenXIII, tsukuneXmoka, MetallicMedallion, FoehammerE419, snow. x. fairy, Skylan, DaOneInDaCorner, Existential Complaining, Sinful Serenta, and SummonerDagger88** being kind enough to leave reviews and just being awesome peeps in general. I appreciate every single one of you so very much!

UGH okay this AN is super long so peace out

 **#bananasquad**


	15. Revelations

**Chapter 15**

 _Stupid, idiot, butthead!_

" _C'mon, sweets! Turn that frown upside down! Look on the bright side, you did fantastic at soccer practice today," Mommy says while driving. She looks at me from the little mirror thingy. "I know you're upset, honey, but you know your brother doesn't mean anything by it."_

" _He stole my stuff!"_

 _Mommy looks tired. "I mean—yeah. But you eat those taffy's every day. You can go one day without 'em, can't ya?"_

" _No!"_

" _Xion..."_

" _Sora is stupid!"_

" _Hey!" Mommy says a little louder. "What'd I say about the name calling? You know we don't call each other out of name in this household, missy."_

 _But Sora is stupid! Why was he even born? Why is he my brother? He always takes my stuff and gives it away and Mommy never does nothing about it. I hate him. He's dumb, and stupid, and annoying!_

 _When the car stops inside the garage, I get out of the car buckles all by myself and jump out as fast as I can. I think Mommy called after me but it doesn't matter. I just have to get to Sora. I know he's here._

 _I see Daddy in the living room on the couch watching sports stuff. Sora isn't here. I run upstairs and push big sis out of my way._

" _Hey, could you please watch where you're going? Ugh," Shiki says._ _Don't care. Need to find Sora. I find his room and shove the door open. There he is! He has a cape on and is using a stick, pretending to fight something._

" _Take that! Annnnd, that!" he says, hitting the air. Dork. "What the—get out of my room! H-Hey, slow down...!"_

 _I jump on his bed and tackle him to the floor. "You took my taffy's, didn't you?"_

" _I-I, uh... no?"_

" _Liar!" I yell. Sora fights back and we roll around on the ground. We fight all the time, and I usually lose, but I don't care. I'm gonna make him pay this time. Well, at least I was... until he pinned my arms down on top of mines. Dang it! "Nyghhh! Get offa me!"_

 _I can hear him laughing. "You never learn, huh?"_

 _I scream. Maybe Mommy will hear and then she'll come up and then she'll put him on punishment. "Strupid! Yrou troofk mah taffiesssshh!" Whoops. My cheeks are smooshed to the carpet._

" _So I took your precious little taffies," Sora says. "Big deal. It's not like you don't eat em everyday. I gave 'em to somebody who needed them."_

" _NYAHHHHH!"_

" _Okay, that's enough. Both of you!" Mommy to the rescue! She breaks us up, but I try to get a few more hits in before she can. "Ugh... thanks for the help, Vincent," I hear Mommy say quietly._

 _Shiki laughs from the doorway. "Geez, you two are such boys."_

" _Mommyyyy," I whine. "Shiki called me a boy again!"_

" _Well, you might as well be one," Sora says. "Look how short your hair is. That's not girly at all. You're not even into girly stuff; you play soccer and you're always wrestling. Hah! Xion's a boyyy, Xion's a boyyy!" he sings._

" _I'm not a boy!" I yell back. "You took my candy!"_

" _Hey, you're the one who broke my Buzz Lightyear!"_

" _I said hush!" Mommy says. She pinches her nose for some reason. "You two are such a handful. How many times do I hafta tell you? I don't like fighting in this house." She looks a little meaner. "We are a family. That means we stick together. Always."_

" _Tell that to Xion. She can get away with anything, anyway." Sora gives me a dirty a look. "Why would she care about some dumb candy she eats all the time? It's not like she isn't spoiled enough already."_

 _Mommy crosses her arms. "This might be a bit redundant, considering your track record, Sora. But I'll humor you: why on earth did you take your sister's candy without her consent?"_

 _He scratches his head. "Consent...?"_

" _No, damn it, it means—wait, I mean darn it! Forget that you heard that!" Mommy stops and breathes through her nose for a second. "Could use some help here Vincent! Lousy, no good..."_

" _Look, are you gonna just ground them or what?" Shiki asks. "This is getting boring."_

 _Mom stomps and points at the hall. "Out." Shiki rolls her eyes and walks downstairs. "Why is this so difficult? Okay, okay. Sora—explain yourself."_

 _Sora groans. "I didn't eat your dumb candy, okay? I mean, yeah, I took it, but there's this guy from the other class who never has money for lunch, so I gave him the rest of my lunch that I didn't eat, and I took your taffies because I didn't have any sweets." He then gives me a mean look. "I figured it wouldn't bother the princess of tomboys, since you always get whatever you want anyway, so I gave 'em to somebody who actually needed it."_

" _But those were mine!" I yell._

 _Mommy does that breathing thing when she looks tired again. "That's... very nice of you, sweetie. I know you have good intentions, but for Zeus sake, ya can't just be taking your sister's stuff without her permission. Otherwise, it's stealing."_

" _But Mom...!" Sora starts._

" _Can it, Porcupine." She crouches down until she's as short as us. "I'm glad that I've taught you to treat others the way you want to be treated. And you're a good boy, Sora, but this Robin Hood complex of yours is getting out of hand. If you really wanna help people out, then you're gonna have to learn to include your family into that mix, too. You can't be nice to people on the outside but mean to the people that you came from. What do I always tell you?"_

" _Charity starts at home," Sora says, groaning._

" _You're darn tootin'!" Mommy says. "You can't treat strangers right if you can't even treat your own blood right."_

" _I know..." Sora says, looking sad._

" _You're her big bro, and I want to be able to trust you to look after her. But how can I do that when I can't even trust you to not take her lousy candy? If you wanna give this boy some extra food, you tell me and I'll send you to school with an extra lunch and I'll give his mother a call. But you leave your sister out of it. Understand, little man?" She punches him gently on the shoulder._

 _Sora rubs the spot. "Yeah, Mom..."_

 _Mommy nods. "Good! Now, you go on and apologize."_

 _Sora seems too scared to look at me in the face. "Sorry..."_

" _Hmph!" I huff, not looking at him. He's still stupid._

 _Mommy then smiles and it makes me do the same. I like when she smiles. She has the brightest smile in the whole galaxy. "Well, then!" she says, clapping her hands. "Now that that's been taken care of, with no help from your no-good father, who wants some apology ice cream?!"_

" _Me!" Sora and I say at the same time._

 _Mommy took me and Sora and Shiki to the store down the street. They have all kinds of stuff! And it smells good in there, too. I got the Raspberry Ripple flavor one! It was yummy for my tumbly. Sora got the Superman flavor and Shiki got chocolate. Mommy even got me some more taffy's._

 _Mommy played hide and seek with us for the rest of the day. She tried to get Daddy to play too but he didn't want to today. Only sometimes. But Mommy always plays with us. She's the best Mommy in the world. She always makes me laugh. When she's it, she pretends to be a monster and wears a mask to scare us. She's so silly._

 _But now I'm tired. I watch TV holding onto my Winnie the Pooh. Then I hear a knock on my door. "Come in," I say._

 _It's Sora. He has his arms behind his back. He looks kinda bummed, though. If he's here to play a prank on me, I am soooo telling. "Uhh, hey," he says, rubbing the back of his head._

" _What do you want?" I ask, holding my Pooh tighter. I hope Sora isn't planning on doing anything to Pooh—I'll protect him._

" _Sorry for taking your candy."_

" _You already said sorry."_

" _Well, duh. Mom was right there." He shakes his head. "But I guess I just wanted to say it by myself. I just wanted to help out Vaan. He told me taffies were his favorite but he never gets to eat 'em anymore after his dad died. Him and his mom are struggling with money or something, so... I guess I figured I'd lend a hand."_

" _You coulda just told me, butthead. Geez."_

 _Sora crosses his arms. "Psh. You're five, I didn't think you'd understand."_

" _I'm only two years younger than you..."_

 _Sora laughs, but I don't see what's so funny. He walks over to me and gives me a noogie. He knows I hate when he does that! "Whatever, little bro."_

" _I'm a girl!"_

 _Sora goes back to the door but turns around before he leaves. "Hey. Somethin' that Ma said kinda got me. Charity starts at home. I dunno if I understand, but I think it means that—I'll, uh... always protect you. All right?"_

 _What a doofus. But it makes me happy to hear that for some reason. Well, Mommy always says that family is one of the most important things. "I love you too, butthead."_

 _His cheeks are red. "Hey, I-I ain't say nothing about that!"_

 **Present Day...**

Good god, how I'd take candy theft over something like... _this,_ any day. Why must things always go south for me at the absolute worst time imaginable? It's like the universe watches me just to conjure every unpleasant circumstance possible to intercept my mood. It's such a cruel test of my sanity. Discomfort levels are officially over 9000.

For months, I was arrogant enough to believe I could hide this from my immediate family, Shiki being the obvious exception. But here we are; he sits on my bed, still hunched over slightly while pressing that ice pack to his eye.

But, to be honest, what hurts the most is that look on his face. All the frustration, all the anger, all the exhaustion, all the hurt, all the disappointment—in just one look. Like I let him down. Terra did say he spoke highly of me, for whatever reason. I bet he's taking back all that praise now. God, I am so freaking stupid! Everybody and their pet Chocobo would've been smart enough to see this coming—except me.

My body isn't functioning properly. I'm literally frozen. There's something apathetic and meticulous about his demeanor that would've otherwise given me the red alert to stay away from him, but considering that he's been waiting in my room, it just brings an unwarranted and unpleasant grumble to my stomach. For once, I don't want to distract myself from my problems with chocolates or ice cream, stuffing my face like the fatass that I am. In fact, I'm considering committing the act of seppuku for my dishonor.

"I-I, uh..." I reach for his shoulder, but he avoids my touch. He looks defeated—lost and confused. What did he hear? And from who? Was it Terra? But—shit. If I'd known that a little bit of casual sex for cash could make your life a living hell, I would've second-guessed myself more. That, or knock some much-needed common sense into the 16-year-old version of myself and implore her to cease with the naïveté.

He sits in silence, as if he's mourning the dead or something. If he's attempting to make this as uncomfortable for me as possible, then he's doing a damn good job at it.

"Hellooo?" I shake his shoulder to make sure he's still alive. "Will you say something already?"

He shrugs his shoulder away and looks at me directly. "I want an explanation." His stare is cold without waver, though I detect an exhausted disappointment. He may be distant, but his mood isn't hard to analyze.

"What are you even talking about?" I'm pretty sure we all know where this is going. But let's just play dumb for the sake of talking my way out of this mess... somehow. Making assumptions is bad for business. For all I know, this has nothing to do with my previous... uh, endeavors, and then I'd have to talk my way out of a very vicious corner. Improv gods, I'll need your assistance.

He shakes his head, still supporting his eye with the ice pack. "Can't believe this. It's not like you haven't been acting weird this whole year. Not answering your cell, that piss poor attitude when you come home, and the money you bring back from your 'mystery' job that you can't disclose to any of us for whatever reason... but I couldn't put two and two together. I guess part of me thought you were better than this."

"Better than what?" I scoff. "You could be a little less vague, you know?"

"Xion," Sora says assertively. "I want the truth. Now."

He knows. Sora freaking knows.

I hate myself. Anybody with common sense would've seen this coming. Seriously, why is it so hot in here? I'm just gonna use the heat as the excuse for my eyes beginning to sweat. Holy fucking shit, Xion! What has gotten into you? Will you toughen up? It's not that bad—my brother, Sora, possibly knows the one thing I didn't want him or my parents to find out. That's all.

Omigod, this is so bad!

Keep it cool, girl. I force my tea—I mean, _eye sweat—_ back down and cross my arms and fold my legs. I can't be the one to give in and screw myself over when I don't know exactly what Sora is talking about. I need to make him admit to it first. "I-I dunno what you're talking about. If you have something to say, just say it."

"Oh, here we go," Sora drones. He stands and raises his arms in defeat. "You just always have to be difficult, don't you? You've always been like this, ever since you were a snot-nosed brat when we were kids." He points at me with a sharp finger. "Man, you know what? I'm sick of you pretending like everything's okay when it's obvious to everybody else that it's not! And what do you do? Keep everything to yourself, as usual. Because big, bad Xion can never let anybody know what she's feeling."

"Why are you yelling?"

"I'm not yelling!" Sora grumbles under his breath and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I mean, ugh, god... are you an idiot? Serious question."

My eyes pop at the question. Who does he think he is? I'm actually getting triggered by that disrespectful tone of his. "What?"

"And stop playing dumb, will you?" He returns the glare. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

I scoff. "Obviously, not."

"Just admit it so that we can get this over with."

I stand up and return his aggression by getting into his face and poking his chest. "Admit what? You need to tell me what the hell you're talking about. I can't read your mind, idiot!"

Some things never change.

His eyes refuse to tear away from mine. I can practically see steam fuming from his nose. Our frustration seems to be at an equilibrium. "Dude, please, you're a nervous wreck. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Just give it up and explain how you've been getting that money."

"Shoyu Shoyu," I answer with attempted confidence, crossing my arms.

"Liar! You know that I know and I know that you know that I know exactly what it is that you know that you do. So stop pretending like you don't know! You know?"

"...What?"

Sora groans. "Stop it! Just—stop playing dumb."

He called my bluff. I'll just have to bluff harder. "I _don't_ know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do."

"No, the fuck I don't!"

"Stop being difficult."

"You're the one who's being difficult!"

Sora grabs his head out of frustration. "Damn it, Xion! Why are you always like this?"

"Like what? I can't help you if you don't let me know what you're talking about! So stop being vague and just say it straight to my fucking face if it's _suuuuch_ a big deal."

"I KNOW ABOUT THE FUCKING SEX WORKING!" He clutches my shoulders and shakes me erratically, the strength of it forcing a whimper out of me. He stops and lowers his head. His grip loosens and slowly unravels his fingers. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for the language, but... there can never be a straight answer with you."

I hold onto my left shoulder and shrink into my posture a bit. I'm... just a bit shook. I don't think I've ever seen Mr. Happy-go-lucky himself so angry before. Sora turns around and leans against the doorframe, presumably trying to regain his composure while I try to hold back the emotional waterfall that's begging to spill over. Seriously—fuck my life.

"I got into a fight," Sora says after a momentary silence. "It was at the Market Place. I was walking out of the store when some guy bumped me on the shoulder. I asked what was up and he seemed pretty... irritable. It was this dude named Tidus, and apparently, he was mad that I knocked his friend out of the struggle prelims. I tried to be rational and apologize, but he was playing the tough guy since he had two of his friends to back him up. It all happened kinda fast. After a while, I told 'em to back off and..." Sora chuckles dryly. "I think that was the moment when I was pulled into the nearest alleyway."

I gulp. Did Terra have anything to do with this? What do I have to do with this? And how did my name get thrown into the mix?

"Then he mentioned you." Oh, great. Just _had_ to ask. He looks at me with conviction. "Something about... I dunno... how him and a bunch of his guys... and my sister... how she..."

"I-I see." I don't need him going into detail. I got the gist. "Look, I was just..."

"Stop it," Sora says with finality. "Don't give me some crappy, obviously made up excuse or try to sugarcoat the situation so that it doesn't seem like it isn't what it is. That might work on Mom and Dad, but not with me. Not ever."

No pressure, right? "I-I, uh..."

"Remember when you came home two months ago with that black eye? I told you that I'd play along for now. But now, I'm done playing." His expression alleviates from its tension. "I want to help you, but I can't if you don't give me answers. What happened? How did you end up like this? What made you think this was a good idea? And how come—"

"S-Stop!" I clutch my head. This is actually physically painful. So many questions—not just from Sora, but from myself. It only adds to the uncertainty. How can I be honest with Sora when I haven't even been honest with myself? I've been ignoring these questions lingering in the back of my head for months. Now I'm supposed to just come up with a straight answer? Was it really for my family, or was it for myself?

"Are you stalling?" Sora asks accusingly.

"W-What? No, I-I just—"

"Fine." I look up to find an uncharacteristically saddened Sora. "I guess you don't even trust _me_ enough to help you." He makes a resolving expression, slightly angered. "I guess we'll just have to see what Dad thinks about this."

What?!

"No!" I hop off my bed and tug his arm. I clutch harder in hopes of him recognizing my desperation. This is the exact opposite of what I wanted him to do. "No, you can't! You can't tell Dad!"

"It's for your own good," Sora says coldly.

"Please! I-I'll do anything!"

"You're not going to stop if I give you a free pass. I'm just doing what's best for you."

"No, you idiot!" I punch him in the chest. I can't stop the overflow of rage-induced tears from streaming at this point. Not that I fucking care. "Get your stupid hero complex out of your head for one second and try to consider how _I_ feel for once. Won't you just listen to me for a second?!"

I can see the guilt forming in his eyes. He makes the effort to not look at me in the face. "What's the point if you won't talk?"

"It's not that simple! T-T-This is a lot of pressure on me. I can't just come clean like that!" I take a step back and rub my shaking hands together—it's a poor attempt at calming myself down. "Please, just don't tell Dad! It's embarrassing enough that you found out; I don't need to be the resident sinner or something!"

"I... I can't do that, Xion," Sora says in a low voice. "If you won't talk to me, then maybe you'll talk to Dad. You might hate me for it now, but you'll understand someday. It's my job to protect you."

His mind is made up. Once that happens, good luck trying to convince him otherwise. Sora is stubborn, especially when it comes to his annoying sense of truth and justice. He narrow-mindedly views things from his own perspective and never wants to take a second to see things from anybody else's.

I'm done. If my parents find out, then everything I worked building for is going to come crashing down. This was the absolute last thing I wanted to happen. Can you imagine? Mom and Dad won't look at me the same way ever again. I don't know if I can take that. Should I run away? Spare everybody the stress I always cause them? I'm a walking beacon for trouble.

I look up and notice Sora still standing there, looking at me somewhat cautiously. He looks guarded.

"What are you looking at? Leave me alone!" I yell. "I don't care anymore, just—just do whatever you want..."

God. Please excuse me for being an angsty little shit from a shoehorned teen drama right now. But I can't help it. I plop back on my bed and pour my eyes out into my hands. Why does this always have to happen to me? I think part of me knew this was coming, but still. I can't help but be a weak little crybaby about it. Maybe I deserve it. I'm a terrible daughter, an untrustworthy friend, a manipulative bitch of a sister... not to mention I've been tossed around by Terra and his gang like a fucking ragdoll.

Something weighs the bed down and I feel the sudden sensation of proximity. I sniff and pull my head out of my hands to find Sora sitting next to me. And here I thought he was long gone. He keeps his eyes on the floor but occasionally darts them my way.

After an exhale, he finally speaks. "Let it out. Don't be scared." Geez. Don't tell me he was reading my mind. It seems like everybody has been able to do that. Am I really that transparent? "I know how you are, Xion. You think that crying and being emotional makes you weak. You've been that way ever since you were a kid." Yup, definitely transparent. He chuckles. "Sometimes you'd scrape your knee or get a sprain at practice. It was obvious you wanted to cry, but you held back for some reason." He scratches behind his ear. "I guess that's why it's easy for me to see right through you."

I always found it embarrassing. Mom was always so strong—she never cried. She was always so positive about everything. I guess I thought I could be like that myself. To my surprise, he hands me a tissue. I hesitate to accept the offering. I don't even remember the last time Sora showed me any sort of compassion.

He bulges his bottom lip. "What?" he asks, irritation slipping into his voice. "C'mon, I—I don't like seeing people cry, okay?" He rubs the back of his head. "Plus, you got a runny nose and it's grossing me out."

I snatch the tissue away from him and proceed to (obnoxiously) blow my nose. "Well... thanks..." I say with a slight sniff.

"Alright," Sora says, trying to calm himself down. "So, I got a little... impulsive. It's just a lot to take in, okay? Sorry about that."

After clutching the tissue, I tuck my hands inside the crease of my thighs and let my head hang low—a consistent gesture of mine. Sora just sits there. We don't say anything. In fact, minutes go by without a word. But it isn't awkward. We just sit in the warmth of silence, and I can't speak on his behalf, but I'm just trying to figure out what to make of this scenario. Where do we even go from here? I swear I'm breaking his arm if he makes a pimp joke, though.

"I guess," Sora says suddenly, jumping me out of my reverie with a gasp. "I guess it's only fair if—I hear your side of the story."

My mouth goes agape. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my brother? And when are the two of you getting a haircut?"

He rolls his eyes. "One, I'm actually a clone sent from the aliens—your brother's actually dead and I assumed his role to observe human life. And two, I'll get a haircut when your hair gets a growth spurt."

I squint. "Touché, Mr. Sora. Touché." This can't seriously be the same Sora that ritually pulls dumb pranks on me every year on April Fools such as putting raw fish in my bed while I'm sleeping or replacing my toothpaste with oatmeal. It's just a bit hard to swallow.

"Look," Sora says, lightly scratching his cheek. "I get that I can be a little... what's the word—"

"Inconsiderate, impulsive, hasty, intolerant, completely graceless—"

"Okay, I get it. Sheesh, I said _word._ Not a list." He grumbles. "I just—I'm really passionate about truth and honesty, and... I just want others to have those same principles. It's what Mom would want..."

A sigh escapes me. It's not like I don't know this already. It's not that he's _trying_ to be a total white knight, controlling, imposing douche. It's always been clear that he means well. He's just not very tactful in his approach. But as much as I hate to admit it, Sora really is a good person. He would never do something that would actually hurt me.

I nudge him slightly, attempting to hide what little of a smirk that is displayed on my face. I'm supposed to be sad right now; he can't see that stuff. "Yeah, I know. You're a good person at heart. I've never thought you were ever being an _intentional_ prick."

"Thanks!" Sora's smile deflates upon further thought. "I think..." He shakes out of it. "I'm willing to listen, if you're willing to open up."

"And where's this hospitality coming from?"

"I didn't think I needed a reason. I'm your big brother, aren't I? You might be a pain in the ass, but you're my pain in the ass."

"'Till the fat lady sings." I can't help but remain slightly cautious, though. "So, you're not gonna tell Dad?"

He crosses his arms and closes his eyes, cocking his head slightly. "I'm not sure. But—maybe I'd understand better if you told me what's going on. I think I deserve an explanation. Tidus said something about you being—a uhh... sexually... open person. And how you did it for a quick buck."

I give a monotone look. "I feel like I'm being shamed here."

His face pops at the accusation. "When did I ever...? Hey, I'm tryin' to be considerate here!" I raise an eyebrow at him. "Look, I'm new to this." He gestures the space between us. "Being nice to you and stuff. It's weird and gross and uncomfortable. So, hurry it up." His lack of tact is obvious, but I appreciate the effort.

Something inside beckons me to smile, and I lightly tap him on the forehead with my knuckles, making his expression soften as well. "Idiot."

I sigh and face my front, letting my shoulders deflate from their... invisible restraints, I suppose. Something about this air really makes me stiff. I think Sora notices my discomfort and massages my back.

"Take your time," he says in a voice attempting to ease my tension.

I breathe in, and then release. Wish me luck. "Honestly, I'm not even completely sure how it got to this point. It's one of those things in life that just kinda—happened. I guess, if anything, it started around when I first went out with Neku in the middle of sophomore year."

"Neku...?" Sora punches his palm. "What'd he do? You know, I never liked that dude."

"Yeah, I noticed. You and Dad wouldn't let him breathe whenever he came over. Another reason I didn't want to tell you about this."

Sora merely shrugs. "Well, excuuuuse me. I was just trying to look out for you." He folds his arms. "I could smell the sleaze on Neku from a mile away. Now was I right or was I right?" Oh, here we go. I lean against my fist and force my pride down my esophagus. "I'll take that as a 'thank you, dear brother, for having the heart to look out for me.' Man, I should've known—"

"Are you gonna listen, or just talk down on me?" I interrupt.

He scoffs, as if the answer is clear. "Talk down on you. Duh."

I give him my patented _look_ , a sharp eyebrow raised with my head cocked slightly to the side with imaginary daggers poking his vision. Sora takes the hint and groans.

"Go on," he drones.

"Thank you. The last thing I need is you lecturing me about a guy, who I now know was bad for me, that ended up cheating on me with another girl." I pause. "Girls, actually. Silly me, forgetting the plural."

Sora visibly cringes. "I figured it was something like that. That's rough."

My eyes roll over. Can we please not turn this into some miniature intervention? "Yeah, well—I'm not asking for your pity. I'm just telling it like it is. You wanted an explanation, and now you're getting it."

He places the ice pack back onto his eye. "Touchy."

"Well, can you blame me?" I gag. "It wasn't like it was some fleeting, innocuous freshman romance where it lasted two weeks and was considered an impressive feat for setting a new record. We were together for a year and a half, from sophomore year to the end of junior year."

"Whoa. That's like five years in high school numbers."

"I know, right?" I shake my head. "I actually thought I _loved_ him at one point." I bury my face into my hands out of embarrassment. I can't believe I'm actually relaying this crap to my brother.

"Loved him?" Sora asks. "Dramatic, much?"

"Well, now I know it wasn't love, sure. It was just—just—intense infatuation."

"What, you mean like eighty-five percent of most high school relationships? You really need to stop watching the teen rom-coms—I'm starting to think they're infecting the minds of the female population."

"Ugh. Shut up." He knows I hate rom-coms. Kinda. Okay, I have a few guilty pleasures but so do you. Don't deny it. "You weren't there. Neku, he... he was so sweet. And I fell for it, okay? I'm a dense idiot and I couldn't see through his fabricated façade entailing the roses and sweet-nothings of his insincerity."

"Well—"

"Don't. Say it," I interrupt before he can toss me one of his lame punchlines.

"You jump to conclusions too much. I was just gonna say chill with the big words again. You're makin' me feel inferior here." Sora zips his lips with an imaginary key and raises his hands in defense. "Go on."

I don't buy it for one second, but I decide to continue regardless. "Our relationship was never perfect, but we always seemed to figure how to make things work out... somehow. You know how the start of relationships are... it's funny how they can cloud your judgement. The world just kinda turns into an endless sea of cotton candy and rose petals. It's disgusting."

Sora chuckles bitterly. "Been there, done that."

"...but then you don't realize that the both of you were just putting on your best stage performance until you see the person for who they _really_ are and realize that they weren't who you thought they were." I shut my eyes. "It gets to the point where you mistake intense infatuation for love. Neku was the bees of my knees. He was almost conveniently perfect. And I guess I fell for it. He's actually... the one who took my virginity."

Sora plugs his ears with both index fingers. "La la la la la la la!"

I smirk. "What, don't tell me you thought I was actually a virgin this whole time."

He shudders. "Please stop. I still remember when you were in diapers and spit bubbles were the high point of your day. The last thing I need to imagine is you getting... oh god, never mind." Sora holds his head dramatically, presumably trying to wade off the mental images.

"Anyway..." I drone. "Sorry to burst your nostalgia boner. But it happened... I mean, Neku, he knew what he was doing. I thought my first time was gonna be awkward and uncomfortable, but... he knew just what to do. He knew how it make me feel relaxed in my own skin. The right buttons to push..."

"CAMPTOWN LADIES SING THIS SONG, DOO-DAH! DOO-DAH...!"

I tug his fingers away from his ears. "Oh, cut it out. You're acting like you're such a saint."

He puts a fist to his mouth and clears his throat. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

I roll my eyes, deciding not to humor him. "You get the point. Sex. We had sex." Sora squirms at the forbidden word. "It was only after that when I found out that, apparently, he was already with Yuna while talking to me."

"That's what that fight was about?"

I nod solemnly. My stomach feels a bit queasy just thinking about it. I feel like a jerk for this, but there was a certain thrill that came with having slept with someone who was supposedly with somebody else. "I guess it... made me feel like I was special to him. And karma bit me in the butt for that one."

Sora rubs the back of his neck. "Kudos for honesty..."

"But silly, selfish ol' me kept running back. I'd think about him every five seconds and call him only slightly less often. He really was great—he'd call to check up on me, always take me out for a good time instead of just telling me to come to his place, and he seemed truly genuine. Things were just... great. At least for a while, 'til I started to notice him getting distant. We wouldn't do anything fun anymore. He'd barely invite me over. He'd say everything was fine and reassure me with a slick smile. He knew just how to make me lower my guard.

"Things got stale after that. You know the butterflies you get at the start of a relationship? Well, they reeled back into their cocoons. We didn't joke as much anymore. Sometimes we'd even argue... and there was this fear kept creeping in the back of my mind... that maybe I wasn't good enough. Maybe that's how I got my stupid anxiety.

"I would ask him if something was wrong, but he'd say everything was fine and that he loved me. I'd ask if I could help, but he said everything was under control." My eyes begin to wilt. "So... do you know how much it hurt when I saw him... with another girl... in his window..." I need to calm down. I'm not going to cry over that loser...

I notice Sora fiddling with the ice pack in his lap. "I can imagine..."

"You know what the worst part of it was?" I continue. "I texted him prior and he promised that he was out busy doing work for his dad or whatever fucking excuse he came up with." I wipe the few tears away and sniffle. "I know it seems silly to cry over something like that, and... it wasn't even so much that I cared about him sleeping with other people... what hurt the most was the fact that he lied... I think that was the first time I experienced a betrayal of my trust... by somebody who I thought had my back. It was only worse when I found out from Yuna of all people that he'd been messing around with other girls for two whole months."

"Two months...?"

"Sixty something days of lies, and he'd sleep with me like nothing was wrong. Like the fucking idiot that I was to really think that for once I actually meant something... to _somebody._ And all that time he was inviting other girls into his apartment.

"That's when the depression kicked into full gear. I thought it was me. I thought, am I not good enough? Was I ugly to him the entire time? Was I nothing more than his plaything? Was this how I made Yuna feel? Ugh, I don't know. And that whole time, I got a kick out of it... that we had done something behind her back. But now that I was on the receiving end of it... it wasn't so thrilling anymore."

"I'd be scared if it was."

"I... I tried to apologize to her, but... she didn't want to hear it. I guess I couldn't blame her. I needed a distraction. Sex was the perfect excuse. I thought—I don't know—I felt like I needed sex just to make me feel like I was attractive again. Or something like that. I... I ended up grabbing the first desperate loser I could find and we made it happen.

"I ignored every call and text from Neku. It actually felt good—you know? Just having sex without the frivolousness of emotional attachment. It saves you the fucking heartache, and that's all I cared about. When we finished, the guy said he wanted to do it again. I didn't want to have anything to do with him after that, and jokingly mentioned he'd have to pay me if he wanted to go at it a second time. Let's just say I didn't expect him to hand over fifty bucks—it wasn't anything to him considering his background. I mean, it's Twilight High—most of the kids there are loaded. I rejected it at first but... he insisted.

"I was at a loss. I figured I just took advantage of him, honestly. But then when Mom got sick and Dad ended up breaking his leg without having any insurance to cover him, _I_ could help. _I_ could actually contribute when Mom was in the hospital. It was easy money. And it's not like I'm good at anything else." Maybe it's best to leave Shiki's name out of it. It's her business, after all. But she was the one who really convinced me into it after I told her what happened. "It was like the first steps in the realm of adulthood and I got to feel like... like..."

"Like what?" Sora interrupts, his voice moderately low.

"L-Like..." I sniffle, "I was... worth something... to somebody... I was actually helping out at home and... the feeling of being desired... it made me feel like I was worth something for once. It was overwhelming... a-and empowering—"

"And shallow," Sora includes. I guess expecting him to keep his unwavering sense of morality quiet the entire time was wishful thinking. But he's been relatively quiet, so I can't really be angry at him. Honestly, the thing that makes it even more annoying is that I know he isn't wrong.

"I know... but it wasn't just that. I-I don't want you to get the wrong idea. It wasn't just for me—do you know what kept me going?" Sora doesn't say anything. "I was doing it because I knew how much we needed the money. That's what kept me going, even when it was especially draining. I didn't want to just sit back and do nothing while our family was struggling! Mom would've been so ashamed... but... I-I think deep down, I felt like Mom wouldn't approve of how I was getting the money, regardless.

"I would look in the mirror and feel disgusted with myself. But I did my best, and... I kept going because I felt like at the end of the day, I was able to keep a roof over our heads. I was actually able to help... but then I'd have to come back home and face myself. I had to look in the mirror and accept what I saw. After the lust subsided, all that was left were my insecurities and I couldn't run away from it anymore.

"I felt horrible, okay? I still feel horrible. I'm a horrible person... I did horrible things... I just... I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I made a mistake." I hold my head, desperately trying to keep it from throbbing. "Something bad happened, Sora. Something really, really bad happened to me. I'm stuck in a terrible situation. I still suffer from depression... I'm doing my best to keep myself together but it's all just too much...! And I didn't know who I was supposed to turn to. I felt like I was always so alone—"

"That's where you were wrong." I notice Sora clutching his fists in his lap. I sniff and try to calm myself down. "You always had me. But you never came to me. I mean," he pauses, "I know I'm not the best at this kind of thing, but... I would've at least tried to be there for you. Even now, I had to find out from an outside source. A hostile one, at that. Did you even plan on telling me at some point?"

Geez, I must be such an ugly, tearstained mess right now. "I-I don't know, I think so? I'm sorry. It's just embarrassing... but, it's not like I do it anymore, anyway. Trust me, that ship has sailed for a while."

Sora sighs and crosses his arms. "Well, that's good to hear." Looking exhausted, he runs a hand through his hair. "I guess you've been through a lot."

I sniff. "Yeah, I... I suppose so."

Sora rises from the bed and takes a few steps forward to the point where only his back faces me. He folds his arms and cocks his head to the side slightly—his signature stance when thinking. What in the world is going on in that head of his? Does he hate me? Is he disgusted?

"So, the Shoyu Shoyu thing," he says. "That was all a lie?"

"Well, partially. But I did actually work there. I actually started there right around the time when I gave up the... self-employed sex service thing."

"So, it was recent, huh?"

He goes silent after that. "What are you thinking?" I ask, my voice trembling. I'm almost afraid to know the answer.

"...I'm thinking... that I don't approve of this. Not at all. And Mom and Dad have a right to know what you're going through. I mean, Xion, you could've gotten hurt." Well, he's right. I did. "Do you know what you could've put me through? What you could've put _us_ through?"

I massage my temples. "I-I know... I'm sorry, I—"

"But," Sora says, cutting me off. I lift my head curiously. "... we were struggling with money. And you were able to bring money in when things were looking really bad. And you said you were trying to help us, right? Well, I can't just ignore that. You remember what Mom would always say, don't you?"

"Charity starts at home," I say upon remembrance.

"Yeah." He nods. "And you know, that's actually really cool of you, Xion. I might not agree with your methods, but you did what you felt like you needed to do. But for you to go out of your way like that—for our sake." He turns his head halfway with a warm, comforting smile beaming from his features. "Well, I _have_ to be grateful for that. Thanks."

My mouth goes ajar. This is certainly a twist of events. To say that I'm shocked is an understatement among understatements. If you would've told me months ago that if Sora were to ever discover my secret and that he would actually take the time to listen to my side of things and try to understand and not just blindly rat me out to fulfill his daily dosage of self-gratification—I would've thought you were absolutely nuts. But here we are. In my room. He knows. And he's smiling. At me?

Sora offers me the box of tissues. I accept it with quivering hands and clean myself up. He kneels down to level with me. "You did what you thought was right. I know that feeling—and I know how it feels to be unsure if what you're doing is right or wrong."

"Really?"

"I used to always steal stuff from you guys and give them to others, remember?" he says with an embarrassed chuckle. "I remember even stealing Mom's jewelry and giving them to some of my elementary teachers as gifts. But I still felt kinda bad about it. I was trying to be a good person, but it was at the expense of you guys. I had to learn that. It's the same thing here. You were doing what you felt needed to be done, but at a cost. What if something terrible happened to you? What if you got hurt? It wouldn't have been worth it."

I purse my lips. "That's—one of the main reasons why I quit."

Sora doesn't look too surprised. Instead, he smiles. "But I can't say that I'm ashamed either. And if you say you got a job as soon as you quit the sex stuff, if you were still trying to help even after the fact, then clearly you had our best interest at heart. You weren't just doing it for yourself. Deep down, you really were looking out for us." He rests his hand on the top of my head. Although, he knows I hate when he does that. "I'm proud of you."

I smack his hand away. "Don't patronize me."

He laughs. "But seriously." His eyes shift into something a bit sincerer. "I can tell you've been through some things. You've been acting strange the past month and a half. There was that period where you'd barely talk to us and shut yourself out. I'm just sorry I didn't do anything about it. I should've asked you what was wrong a long time ago. I might've been able to—"

"Don't," I interrupt. "Don't start with the Hero Complex thingy, okay? I don't need you blaming yourself for my actions. It was my choice. My mistakes." As retribution, I place my hand on top of his head. "It's not your fault, Porcupine."

He scowls and bats my hand away. "Don't patronize me."

Now it's my turn to laugh. "Doesn't feel so good, does it?"

"Hey, I'm the older one here. I've got automatic dibs on the patronage." He shakes his head. "Listen. I'm not gonna tell Mom and Dad. This is your business and I'm going to let you decide how you want to handle it."

Wait a second, seriously? Have I actually gotten lucky for once in my pathetic excuse for a life? I gasp and cover my mouth. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I seriously appreciate it."

"Okay, okay," Sora says, presumably growing weary of the inner fangirl in me waking from her grave. "Just—don't get into any more trouble, all right? Save me the headache."

I smile sheepishly. "No promises. But I'll try!"

He sighs. "What a handful." He rises to his feet and stretches the soreness out of his body, but eventually recoils when his injuries kick back in. "Agh. Man. I guess I've got plenty of time until the struggle tournament. It shouldn't take too long to heal."

"Oh, right. The struggle tournament." It's not until the start of summer, but he's been preparing for months ever since he lost earlier this year. "You're hurting right now, so just focus on recovering and not think about the tournament too much."

He laughs at the suggestion. "You kiddin'? This is just gonna motivate me to train harder! Not gonna lose this year, I guarantee it." I roll my eyes. I don't think I'll ever understand the need to be so competitive. A win or a loss doesn't define who you are. "Besides, there should be a lot of scouts from other worlds. I might even be able to get to talk to somebody from Daybreak University."

Wait a minute. Daybreak University? That's the school that Aqua goes to. I nearly forgot I'm supposedly on a mission to find her. "Hey, do you happen to know someone Aqua Holland?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, she's actually a good friend of mine. She was in the female struggle tournament for the past few years. Which you would've known if you ever came to support me for once," he says with annoyance. "Why do you ask?"

The Xion luck is at an all-time high today! Cha-ching. "I need to talk to her about something. Do you think you can contact her for me? Are you friends with her on social media?"

"Uh, yeah, actually. Why do you need to talk to her, exactly?"

"It's—kinda personal." I give him a look that asks for forgiveness. I appreciate his willingness for support, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to open up about _everything_ just yet. Baby steps, right?

He nods, seeming to understand. "Fine." He pulls out his phone. "She's never online, though. Knowing Aqua, she likes to keep herself busy. But I do have her contact information, and she usually responds to regular texts faster than any platform. I'll see what I can do."

I'm honestly a little paranoid. Things never go this good. "Wow. I can't believe you're actually being useful. That's two I owe you."

He shrugs. "Hey, I guess I'm not so bad, after all."

"I guess not."

He winks with his good eye. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I better go get some more ice for this thing," he says, gesturing his swollen eye. With that, he makes a turn for the door. I feel kinda bad for ever having actually doubted him—the big lug.

I put the box of tissues down and hurry towards him before he can exit and tap him on the shoulder. "Hey."

"Hm?" he hums before I trap him into a hug, burying my face into his chest.

"Thanks. For everything."

After a moment, I feel his arms wrap themselves around me. "Heh. Don't mention it." We remain in each other's hold for a very comfortable few moments, before he decides to break it. "For the record, if I ever hear anything about you and any future boyfriends, I demand that you inform me so that we can set up a meeting and I can personally judge whether or not he's fit to handle the resp—"

"Don't ruin the moment."

"'Kay."

I back out of our embrace with a renewed smile. Letting all that emotion out suddenly has me a bit energized. "Well! Let's get you all cleaned up before Dad and Shiki get home. Oh, you know what you need? A nice, warm, relaxing bubble bath!"

He grimaces. "A bubble bath? Please."

"What? Too much of a _man_ to take a bath?" I grab him by the wrist. "C'mon, you'll love it! I'll get the water nice and hot for you."

"What? No, I'm not gonna—hey, let go of me! What's so funny? XIOOOON!"

* * *

Helloooo! I am not dead, I promise!

Sorry for the long wait, and sorry for the disgusting word count ughhhhhhh I hope that doesn't turn any of you guys off! I'm actually kind of worried about the response, because I haven't updated in so long and then to come back with such a long chapter, it might feel like a chore for you guys to read and you'll put it off for a while. But for anybody who does take the time to read through this monster, I REALLY really appreciate it!

It's been harder for me to write lately, I guess because I feel like I haven't been motivated. Your reviews are the things that motivate me honestly because they make me feel like I'm not just writing this for no reason or without purpose. What's the point of writing if people aren't getting anything out of it, you know? So I SERIOUSLY thank anybody who has consistently reviewed and kept up with the story. And to the guests that review and leave comments even though it's been months since I updated, just knowing that there's seriously people who still want to know what's gonna happen next or WANT to actually invest themselves into something that I create, it just... like you don't know how much that means to me. Seriously. This creative stuff is all I'm good at, so I don't take it lightly. Thank you :)

As for this chapter, it's super dialogue heavy, I know. This story has been kinda on the slower side ever since chapter 10, I'd say. Just a quick recap, it's been like a month since chapter 10 where Xion was tricked into getting ganged up on by Terra and his friends, and Xion was depressed quite a bit after that. She's still sort of recovering from that, but is trying to stay in moderate spirits. Xion and Yuna made up in 13. She got fired from Shoyu Shoyu in 14. And then Sora got into a fight with Tidus here and found out about Xion's secret. Oh, and there's still the search for Aqua.

I hope this chapter wasn't boring! If it is though, be honest and let me know. I value honesty over pretty things that are just there to make me feel better, to be blunt ^^; it's not that I don't appreciate it, it just doesn't help me grow and improve if you're not honest. If it sucks, then it sucks, and I'll try to do better! Things should pick up pretty soon, though! At least, I'll try. We might have ONE more chapter of setup and then things will be a bit more action-packed. At least, I'll try to make it one.

Some not so fun facts about my writing process for this, I used a lot of Persona music as templates for the moods I wanted to create for this chapter. When Xion was talking about her past, I wrote it to "Alleycat" from the P5 soundtrack. Seemed appropriate lol. I've been really addicted to Persona music guyz, especially from 3 and 5 x.x oh yeah, how did you guys like Persona 5 if you played it? I loved it! Though, ehh. Something about the story bothered me. And I don't think I agree that the Phantom Thieves were really just, it was pretty manipulative tbh. I mean I know they were dealing with some shitty people, buuuut. Idk. Might be an unpopular opinion there lol

Shoutout to **SummonerDagger88** for just being an amazing friend this past year! I love her so much. She and a few others I've met through this site have made things a lot less lonely on my end ^^ oh and I know she may not see this but thanks to **superspreegirl89** for taking the time to beta read for me!

Oh yeah, and KH3 finally has a release window! Who else is excited?! Ugh, but we still might have at least a year or so of waiting, but at least we KNOW it's coming. Let us all hold hands and pray it doesn't get delayed x_x

Guest responses! The only downside is having to wait months jus to respond and thank you guys x_x although I'm pretty sure one of you is making multiple guest reviews.

 **ForsakenXIII:** I'm glad you liked the costumes choices lol tbh I only picked them because they were the only ones I could think of crappy puns for Roxas and Zidane to say haha. We will get to Aqua soon! I have a lot of stuff planned for that. Eww no, Kairi and Zidane will not get together lmao but Zidane will definitely flirt, that's just who he is XD. And yeah, but don't worry about the Keyblades and worlds and stuff, it's still just in the background. Nothing that'll be really important to the actual plot. Thanks for taking the time to read!

 **Guest #1:** They didn't conveniently know where Sora was at. It was something that just kind of happened, and wasn't preplanned. That's what I was trying to show with this, that they had somewhat of a history and it wasn't even about Xion in the first place. The fact that her secret was blurted out was just because of a moment's fit of rage, and nothing more. We don't know if Terra had something to do with it yet, so try not to make assumptions, you know? ^^;

 **Guest #2:** Well like I said, I won't be adding lemons just for the sake of adding lemons since that's not really the point of this story. The rape scene was different because that was actually important to the plot. But lemons will come when they come :)

 **Guest #3:** Not really, of course there's a chance but it's not a guaranteed thing. Especially since contraceptives were used. Not saying that makes anything impossible, but I don't think that HAS to happen for things to be considered realistic.

 **Guest #4:** You think so? I think the title is pretty vague. It doesn't promise or disregard anything, it just says that sex sells. Xion was a self-employed sex worker. That's pretty much all there is to it. Now as far as how she maneuvers around in that kind of world? THAT'S the actual focus. Whether the story is gonna be full of sexy time goodness or not was never really promised. And this isn't me saying I won't be writing anything like that, but if there's no need for it, then I won't force it. Besides, sex is the last thing Xion wants to have right now. It's way too inappropriate at this point in the story.

 **Guest #5:** Yeah. Lol. That's all I can really say to that. That was kind of the point. It'd be pretty boring if things always worked out in Xion's favor anyway XD buuut I will say that you're making assumptions :P

 **Guest #6:** Hmmm. Maybe?

 **Guest #7:** Yoooo! I gotchu!

Thanks to **BlissfulNightRain, Escape the Shadow, MetallicMedallion, JasmineCrescent, Existential Complaining, snow. x . fairy, Sinful Serenata, and SummonerDagger88** for the reviews!

Alrighty! I think that's about it! Please leave a review, I'd really appreciate it! I'll try to get the next one out sooner! Like literally, within a few weeks. Because I really think this story could be awesome once I get the ball rolling. Take care!

 **#bananasquad**


	16. Revenge

**Chapter 16**

Emotions are dangerous.

I mean, think about it. If left untamed, emotion is unstable and can easily swallow rationality. Most people would rather romanticize it, but not me. That's why after Neku broke my heart, I told myself that I wouldn't give in to that kind of insignificant passion anymore. It does nothing but make you susceptible to vulnerability.

What are you looking at?

Okay, fine, so I've still had some temperament issues and I _may_ have exploded here and there without properly assessing the situation—we know this. But I felt like I was strong enough to face life without my rage combusting into a flurry of dancing flames or my tears streaming to the outline of my chin at the drop of a dime like I see too many people these days do.

"You are so lucky I don't go over there and mutilate your genitals, you prick!" I yell into my phone while attempting to stuff myself into my shirt, only resulting in me stumbling off my bed and landing flat on my back. I groan as I watch my legs dangle upside down. "Ouchie..."

Oh, who am I kidding? I can't lie to myself anymore. I've been an emotional train wreck for most of this school year, and it ain't like biology is making it any easier. I try to convince myself that I'm a fairly stable human being who puts logic before spontaneous reaction, but I'm not, and I never was. In my defense, it's probably been one of the most hectic years of my entire life, and the fact that I'm currently on the phone with my most favorite person in whole wide world isn't helping.

I seriously need to calm down. I won't let this guy get to me. Trust me, if there were any other alternative, I would've taken it. But I had to call and find out what role he played in what happened to my brother before making baseless accusations. Otherwise, I would've marched over to his house with a chainsaw ready and rarin' to go.

"Context, please?" Terra says with a small groan. Sounds like I disrupted his sleep.

I bite my bottom lip while allowing my burgeoning anger simmer through my nostrils. Temper, temper. Don't let the darkness consume you. "Did you have anything to do with what happened to my brother?"

"...What?" Terra asks.

"Please," I say, rolling back up to my feet and fitting my shirt in the mirror. I keep my phone tucked in the crook of my shoulder. "I am seriously not in the mood for any of your disingenuous bullshit. I know I didn't come over the other day, but I told you that I was at work, you idiot. Did you seriously think I was going to leave my job just to get you off?"

After assessing my outfit for the day, that being a short-sleeved yellow top off the shoulders with denim shorts and sandals, the realization that he's been silent for the past ten seconds finally hits me.

"Well?" I prod. "I want an explanation, damn it!"

I'm only met with a prolonged sigh. "Meet me at school."

"What? No! You're already blackmailing me; I'd like to keep my distance away from you as much as I can whenever possible. I just need to—"

He cuts me off mid-sentence and hangs up. That fucking little twerp. I curse beneath my breath as I slip my phone into my back pocket and begrudgingly hang my bag over my exposed left shoulder. I open the door and pause to find my dad with his fist ready, presumably moments away from knocking on my door. His cast is gone, but he's still held up by a single crutch for support.

"What's up, Vincent?"

"Dad," he corrects sternly, before deflating into an almost nervous exterior. "Well, er, where you headed?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Uh, school...?" Was that not obvious?

"Oh. Yeah—that." He coughs into his fist. "Got your bus card?" I nod slowly, internally figuring what the hell this is all about. "Good, good. I just wanted to say—have an exceptional day today."

Exceptional? The noticeable tapping of his fingernail against his crutch and the clearing of his throat makes me eye him up and down suspiciously. "Will do, Dad." Why is he so nervous? Is he worried about me or something? Well, he and I haven't exactly been close for the past few weeks ever since he yelled at me, but I thought we wordlessly skipped over the awkward stage of getting reacquainted and all was well. I pat him on his chest with what I hope is a reassuring smile on my end. "And get some rest, will ya?"

I pick up my posture and walk towards the stairs to—"Surprise!"

I shriek and take a few steps back, instinctively going into a protective stance. I relax after getting a good gander at that goofy smile and his swollen, but steadily improving black eye. "Geez, don't scare me like that."

Sora evaluates me for a moment and puts a finger to his chin. "And just where do you think you're going, little lassie?"

"Well, where do you think, genius?"

He gives me one of those weird, mischievous chuckles and approaches me with both hands out. "Oh hooo, no. No little sis of mine is going to school dressed in that."

Okay, officially weirded out. He gently pushes me back into my room. "Hey, who do you think you're touching?" I yell. "And just what is wrong with the way I'm dressed?"

He scoffs. "Naked shoulders? And that cleavage? Nuh uh, girlfriend. I'm gonna need you to cover up a bit more than that."

"What?"

"Hey, I was seventeen once too, remember? Don't underestimate the dictatorship of a teenage male's inexperienced penis."

"...Please stop talking."

He starts digging through my closet trying to find something more befitting in his eyes. I'm guessing this has something to do with our eye-opening conversation last night. Amazing.

"What's this all about?" Dad asks.

I freeze and rack through my memory files to conjure some sort of excuse. "Well, uh..."

"It's nothing, Dad," Sora says while examining my room. "Just trying to protect your daughter from the predatory species known as _man_. Nothing wrong with that, right?"

Fine, I'll go with it. I smile docilely at my dad and feign purity. "Uh, yeah, what he said."

Dad scratches his head, but ultimately waves it off in the end. "Well, all right then. I'll, ehh—leave you two to it," he says while limping away from the scene.

Returning my attention to the situation at hand, I cross my arms and tap my finger against my elbow while Sora molests the contents of my wardrobe. Normally, I wouldn't be having any of this shit, but I figure the decision to not chew his head off is the least I owe him for not ratting me out to Dad last night. I'll let this slide, just once. Still, I'm conflicted on whether or not I'm thrilled or appalled by this arrangement.

"Aha," he gushes upon discovery, revealing my large high-collared purple jacket. "Tres'magnifique!"

"What the—it's sixty-degrees outside," I shout. I point to the unwelcomed article of clothing with disgust. "You really expect me to wear that?"

His expression shifts to a blank canvas. "I'm gonna be real with you, I'd rather you be hot and submerged in a pool of your own sweat while on the verge of a heatstroke rather than have some jackass try his hand at sticking his unwelcomed genitals inside of your reproductive organs and becoming the uncle that I never planned on being for at least forty more years."

I grimace at the unwanted imagery. "Really? Forty?"

He squints. " _Maybe_ thirty-five."

I blink. "Good to know."

"Now, put this on."

I shake my head. "Sorry, but there is absolutely nothing you can do to make me put that on in this weather."

"Hey, Daaaad! Xion has something to tell—"

Except that. "Okay, okay! Sheesh." I snatch the jacket from him while cursing beneath my breath, ignoring his victorious smirk.

"Glad we see things eye-to-eye, little sister." He wears a fabricated air of innocence and wraps his arms behind his back. I scowl at that smug smile of his while slipping my arms into the jacket. After making sure it fits well enough, I reach for the door before Sora once again obstructs my path.

"Ah-ah-ah," he says, wagging his finger. "Zipper."

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me."

"Zipper," he sings.

I grab ahold of my head and repress my dormant outcries of frustration. "Fine," I gnaw through my teeth and zip my jacket all the way up till I'm practically being choked by the compression of my collar.

"Lovely." He steps back and frames me with a makeshift camera. "See? You look fantastic."

"I look like I belong in the North Pole," I deadpan.

"Exactly!" He wraps an arm around my shoulder and leads me downstairs. "Let's get going! School's a-waitin'."

"Wait, now you're driving me?"

"Duh," he answers. "Can't have you out there all by yourself and be swept up by some **dude** , can we?"

He says it as if all men everywhere are the spawns of Lucifer. I maintain some suspicion. "You never wanted to drive me to school before. In fact, I distinctly remember you refusing to drive me due to not wanting me to 'defile' your precious car with my residence."

"What?" he asks with a nervous chuckle while simultaneously shoving me out of the house. "Nonsense! Now, hurry up and get in there, you little demon, before I change my mind. Out you go." He turns around one last time to salute dad off. "Later, Pops!"

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

We pull up to the school. While the ride was internally painful, due to Sora and his insistent lectures about sexual protection and how evil the entirety of the male population is just to scare me, at the very least he swung by Katakana House and bought me my favorite highly-caffeinated drink: a hot cup of espresso. So, while his admonishing offers this notion that I can't take care of myself which I don't appreciate, I'll let it go. Sora shifts his attention towards me. "I'm gonna pick you up after school and we'll go buy you a chastity belt."

I sure do hope he isn't being serious with that suggestion. The idea makes me cringe. "I refuse to get a chastity belt after school."

"Christmas, then."

"Sora," I say in a reprimanding tone. "I'm taking the bus home. I know you're worried, but if you're going to be the supportive big brother like you claimed you'd be, I'm going to need you to trust me. Okay? I won't do anything."

He pouts like a child that was scolded by their parent. "So you say... but I'm not convinced. This coming from the same person who went out selling her body to make ends meet behind our backs and wouldn't have even told me if I hadn't gotten my butt handed to me by one of the guys who played a part in it."

I flinch slightly from the jab and wrap both hands around my coffee, taking a small sip to hide my embarrassment. "Hey, man... low blow, much?"

"Well, get used to it. 'Cause I'm not letting you live it down. And I'm using it to my advantage to make sure that you stay safe. Is that clear?" He grabs me by the back of my head and pulls me in so that our foreheads connect with an intensely melodramatic fixation in his gaze. "This is your life now. I own you, Xion. I _own_ you."

I push him away. "You're a jerk."

"Can't blame a guy for simply fulfilling his brotherly responsibilities. Now go on before you're late," he says, shooing me out of his car. "And I want you home at strictly four o'clock, young lady. Am I understood?" Blah, blah, blah. I decide not to entertain him and shut the door behind me, slinging my bag over my shoulder and downing the last few drops of my espresso. I can detect that while he's teasing, there's a hint of sincerity there. "Keep those boobs and that butt covered up," he yells from the driver seat. "I don't need any of these horny bastards getting any ideas."

"Will you just leave already?!" Now he's just trying to embarrass me.

He performs the "I've got my eye on you" gesture before speeding down the street and turning the corner. Ugh, I can finally take this thing off. It definitely isn't cold enough to be wearing a jacket like this just yet, and it won't be for a couple weeks. I tie the sleeves around my waist, toss my empty cup into a nearby trashcan, and enter the building.

Today, I'm here on a mission. If Terra had any hand in orchestrating what happened to my brother, I'm not letting him get away with it scot-free. So, I need to find him and give him a piece of my mind. I swear, if he played any part of this, I'll—I'll—well, I'm not sure what I'll do but it won't be nice. I'll gladly take the plunge if it means protecting the people who matter to me. But the thing is, I know if I call Terra right about now, he wouldn't pick up. The tricky part is finding him.

Oof!

Something bumps me in the back. I turn to find Demyx, his face devoid of color and caught in some kind of nervous sweat. This guy has been avoiding me ever since the incident, and he practically refused to look me in the eye when we both had detention. "O-Oh, sorry! Totally wasn't looking where I was goin'! I'll just be heading the other way now—"

He attempts to spin on his heel and turn the other cheek, but I grab him by the ear and pull him right back to where I want him, reveling at his meek whimpering.

"H-Hey, man! I'm sorry for what I did to ya way back when. I was just—just—"

"It's not about that," I assure him. "You could actually be useful to me. Tell me where your boss is."

He pauses. "My... boss? Isn't that a little demeaning?" I pinch his ear harder. "Ow! Okay, sorry... Look, I don't affiliate myself with Terra anymore, so I'm not the best fit here."

"You don't?"

He rubs under his nose. "N-Nah. But, like—I still might have an idea where he is. Every now and then, we'd go up to the school rooftop. That's usually where he gathers up his boys to go over some things. Lately, he's been going up there by himself to smoke before class."

"Take me."

"I don't think he wants anybody there who wasn't invited, especially a chick, he might get really—" I deepen my nails into his ear canal "—Agh!" He sighs. "Okay, I hear ya."

I nod and smile victoriously. "Perfect."

After letting go of his ear, Demyx takes the lead and we weave through the almost overstuffed hallway. Strange. Part of me is disgusted with Demyx for tricking me all those weeks ago, and for some reason, I can't bring myself to hate him. Maybe it's the guilt I see in his eyes every time he sees me; maybe I'm just becoming a softie. Or maybe I just don't want to impose the blame of my own stupidity on anybody else.

Everything looks normal and expected until Demyx makes a sudden turn and leads me down a forbidden path—opening a very welcoming "DO NOT ENTER" door that leads into the exterior hallways. We hurry up the stairs and stop before a final door that leads to the outside.

"He might be out there, somewhere in the middle," Demyx explains. He stuffs his hands into his pockets. "And, uh—you ain't hear this from me, okay?"

How overdramatic. Is Terra really that intimidating to these people? I guess I shouldn't be one to talk, because he frightens me too. But not enough that I don't feel like I have every right to speak to him whenever I want. "Just get out of here."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" I glare at Demyx as he makes his way back down the stairs. I reach for the doorknob. "Hey, Xion," I stop and turn around to find that him turned halfway at the steps, "listen, I uh..."

"What is it?" I ask. "Come on, I don't have all day."

He purses his lips for a moment before shaking his head. "It was nothing." His expression turns serious. "And, uh... be safe, okay? Terra is dangerous."

I gulp. "I'll—keep it in mind."

Demyx gives me one last look before hurrying back down the stairs. Now that I'm free of distractions, I can finally get this over with. I push the door open and shield my eyes from the glaring sunlight. Twilight High is a big school, so it's only fitting that its rooftop would also be its own miniature park. To my left, the football field and its vastness makes its presence felt. I'm surprised I've never thought to come up here back when Operation: S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S was still a thing.

After a moment of scouring, sure enough, I find Terra all by himself in the center of the rooftop near the edge, watching over the town with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. No wonder his van smelt so bad. Thinking back to Sora's injuries from last night reignites a flame. I clutch my fists and drill towards him. "Hey, you!"

He seems almost surprised for a moment before finding the source of the sudden voice and almost immediately returns to that usual nonchalant expression. "How'd you know where to find me? I was going to talk to you at lunch—"

"Shut up. I don't wanna hear it," I interrupt. "Why did we have to meet up in the first place? It's bad enough that you're forcing me to come to your place, so I don't want to be anywhere near you when I don't have to be."

He intakes a whiff of his cigarette and apathetically blows some smoke into my face. I have to force myself not to lose my cool. "Think about it, moron. Why would I talk about something like that over the phone where you can record our conversation and use it as evidence?" He's right. And the worst part is that I didn't even think of that possibility. "Pretty ballsy of you to come here like that, all disrespectful. You do realize I could just tell you to come to my place after school today and beat the shit out of you, right?"

"And if people see me with bruises all over my face, they'll get suspicious," I return smugly.

"True," he says, smoke seeping from his nostrils. "Not to mention, I can build a case for your own illegal activity thanks to some witnesses. You know how the Twilight Town justice system works. If I go down, you go down with me. So, play nice. I'm not in the mood for this shit."

I grit my teeth. Something about him makes me feel so powerless. Part of me wonders if there's even a point in trying to find this Aqua. Would it do me any good? And why does he act like he's a James Bond villain?

"Get to the point," Terra says.

"My brother," I answer. "I found him battered up last night and he told me that it was Tidus and a bunch of his creeps who did it. Did you set this up?"

"What?" Terra asks, sounding genuinely offended. "Why would I?"

I gape at the prospect that it's _he_ who takes offense at my accusation. He, who has put immense stress on my mentality for weeks. "You texted me the other day while I was at work telling me to meet up with you and I told you that I couldn't. Then it just so happens one of your pathetic subordinates conveniently gang up on my brother while he's all by himself? How can I not be suspicious?"

"Well, I didn't put anybody up to that. Okay? This is the first I've heard about it. In case you forgot, I actually like Sora and I'd never tell my guys to do that unless it was absolutely necessary. Unlike some people, he can actually have a decent conversation without turning it into a shouting match."

I glare daggers at him. "If you're lying, I swear to god—"

"Calm down." He takes another puff of his cigarette. "I knew you were at work the other day. I was just messing with you because it's fun. Why would I go that extreme over something that stupid?"

"Uh, I dunno, maybe because you're fucking crazy?" I answer bluntly.

He pauses, as if thinking it over, before returning to his cigarette. "Well, yeah. But give me a bit more credit than that. If I wanted to get some of my people to hurt your brother, you would know. Got nothin' to hide." My patience is wearing thin. The thing about Terra is that he's a conversational manipulator. It's dangerous to take anything he says at face value. "Don't believe me, do you?"

I raise my eyebrow at him. Does his idiocy know no bounds? "You have to ask?"

He sighs and rubs the back of his neck. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll have a talk with Tidus myself and tell 'im to back off."

He's lucky my talk with Sora last night was cathartic and put me in a good mood. Otherwise, I wouldn't be willing to let this go as easily. I still don't trust a word he says, but there's no real use in being in constant bad cop mode at this point. It happened, and it's over. But if it happens again, I won't be so forgiving. I poke a finger onto his chest. "You better," I demand. "Tell him to keep his fucking hands to himself." I step back and think for a moment. "Matter of fact, I'll just find him and give him a piece of my mind."

"You?" Terra chuckles. "You're not as intimidating as you think you are, Xion. The hell are _you_ gonna do?"

"None of your business." I cross my arms.

He scoffs as he drops his cigarette bud and steps on it. "Well, do what you need to do. You'll find Tidus in the gym. He's the coach's favorite, so he lets him get away with being in the gym by himself even though it's off-limits at this hour."

I eye him suspiciously. "You don't care?"

"It's got nothin' to do with me." Terra places his hands into the pockets of his denim jeans.

He'd really just throw his friend under the bus like that? It must be due to Terra clearly not taking me seriously. Should've been evident with how he treats our entire arrangement as if it were a game to him. Wordlessly, I turn for the exit, but he grips me by the arm.

"By the way, I'll see you at my place after school," he adds, without even sparing a glance. "Could use the stress reliever."

I snatch my arm away and consider cursing him out, but think better of it when recalling his words from earlier and decide not to dig myself into a deeper grave. As painful as it is, I can only walk away and focus on getting back at Tidus. I can worry about whatever happens after school later. Fortunately, I think I know a few that'll help me out.

With that in mind, I pull out my phone and contact Kairi.

"Heya! I was just about to text you," she answers.

"Kairi, I need your help. You're a black belt, right?"

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

After gathering the participants, sneaking through hallways, and avoiding security guards, we finally made it to the second floor with about fifteen minutes to spare before first period. "I can't believe we are actually doing this," Yuna says, trailing behind me along with Rikku and Paine. "I never thought you would ever ask for my help. You better not make us late, Spades."

"Oh, hush," I return. "Fifteen minutes will be all we need. I'm doing you a favor, after all. Be grateful I called you in the first place."

Judging by that dirty look on her face, she doesn't seem to appreciate my word choice. But she doesn't pry further. "Touché."

And there it is. The forbidden gym. Let's just hope that he truly is alone in there like Terra said. Otherwise, this might be a problem. But according to Yuna, Tidus isn't as tough as he pretends to be when he's by himself. He only puts on that façade in front of his stupid friends to flaunt his manhood.

"Okay, everybody remember the plan?" I ask. They nod in agreement and I pull up my phone. "Kairi."

"Yeah, I'm still here," she says on the other end. I told her to sneak into the girls' locker room and make sure we're only dealing with Tidus. "Looks like he's all alone, just as planned."

"Yay! After all of our disagreements and differences, we get to come together with a shared murderous intent in the pursuit of a misogynistic creep," Rikku chirps with a clap. She makes it sound like we're on a girls' night out. But under that happy-go-lucky exterior is someone very scary. "I love violence!"

"We aren't murdering anyone," I remind her cautiously. "Just sending Tidus an intense warning not to mess with us, or our loved ones, anymore."

"Aww, that's not as fun! Oh well!" she says with a giggle that would've otherwise been deemed innocent in almost any other context. God, she freaks me out.

"Just keep your voices low please," I say. Paine, being assigned as the lookout in case any teachers or security guards happen to pass by, leans against the wall next to the door and crosses her arms. She nods as confirmation for her post and we return the favor.

"We might get detention for this again, you know," I tell Yuna.

"That's highly improbable," Yuna states matter-of-factly. "Knowing Tidus, his pride would never allow him to report to the school faculties that he was ousted by a slew of girls that he perceives as being members of the physically weaker sex." She adjusts her glasses while bearing a devious smirk. "But eh, it'd be worth it."

I return the grin, equally devious before a legitimate question dawns me. "What did a feminist like you see in a creep like him, anyway?"

She frowns. "It was a naïve attempt to change him for the better."

"So, you were being dumb?" I ask.

"I was being dumb," she confirms.

"Gotcha." Been there, done that.

With that, I push the double doors open and there he is, all by himself shooting a basketball. This is almost too convenient. The longer I look at him, the more a latent anger begins to well up again. It was bad enough that he had his hand in the affair at Demyx's place, but now he has the audacity to think he can lay a finger on my brother and get away with it?

"Hey!" I yell.

Upon noticing my abrupt introduction, he raises an eyebrow. "Xion...?" He stops and eyes me up and down. "Gotta say, you sure do know how to fill that outfit nicely. But then again, this is you we're talkin' about—"

I march towards him. "Don't act like you're so oblivious. Stop trying to act like a dumbass around everybody. I've already seen you for who you really are."

His expression turns sour. "Well, that's a fine hello. You don't want me to round up Terra and the fellas again, do you?"

I chuckle inwardly. How ironic that his beloved Terra would sell him out. "How dare you have the audacity to think you have any right to lay your hands on my brother?"

He scowls upon remembrance. "He had it comin', since he wants to think he's hot shit," Tidus says. "I say I did 'im a favor and knocked that ego of his down a size."

"So, you admit it?"

"Yeah? What're you gonna do about it?" He grabs me by the waist and pulls me in. "Or maybe you just wanted a repeat of what went down at Demyx's place?"

"Brussel sprouts!" I yell.

Tidus looks at me as if I were insane. "Brussel sprouts? The hell are you—"

"HIYA!"

"—AGH!"

I'm met with immediate gratification and internal glee at the sight of Tidus' face the moment he felt the wrath of Kairi's roundhouse kick. Like I said, this is just an intense warning, so I told her not to do anything too severe that would ruin his career or anything. But if he acts up again, he may just lose a leg. Or two.

Tidus groans, keeping a hand on his back. "Ugh... god dammit... Kairi?"

Kairi folds her arms and taps her foot with a rather frightening look on her face. She seemed especially mad when I informed her of what Tidus did to Sora. In that regard, it's personal for her as well. And Kairi is not one to mess with. She's been my unofficial bodyguard for months. "So, you like ganging up on people, huh?" she asks. "People like you are the reason I took up martial arts."

Tidus opens his mouth to speak, but stops as soon as both Yuna and Rikku appear from behind me, the latter waving at him cheerfully. Tidus is speechless. In fact, it looks like he just saw a ghost.

"Y-Yuna...?"

It was at this moment that Tidus knew—he fucked up.

"D'aww, look at him! He's on the verge of wetting himself," Rikku says. "This is gonna be so much fun!"

Tidus backs up to the nearest wall in a cold sweat. "Wh-Wh-What're you guys gonna do?! H-Hey, c'mon guys. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt your brother, it just kinda happened!" He chuckles nervously. "And Yuna, I... I-I—"

"Silence," Yuna demands. After a moment of silence, she leans over by me. "Um, actually—what _are_ we going to do to him?"

"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing," Kairi adds, scratching her head.

Rikku raises her hand. "Ooh! I vote we tie a noose around his throat and hang him from the school roof!" Needless to say, I ignore her suggestion.

But then I take a step back to think for a moment. "Honestly, I hadn't thought that far ahead," I admit. "Guess I was so angry that I was bent on just finding him."

"Seriously, Spades?" Yuna sighs and pinches her nose. "Ugh, you never fail to disappoint, do you?" I shrug with a slightly sheepish smile.

"Well, first off, we should probably take him off school grounds," Kairi says. "A place where no one will hear his screams," she suggests darkly, making Tidus visibly shudder.

Rikku hums to herself before a lightbulb pops above her head. "Hey! I know a place! I go there all the time," Rikku says. "We can think of something on the way there." I'm not going to ask why exactly she already has a place in mind that quickly, or what she does there, but regardless we all seem to be on the same page with the suggestion.

"Well, we might be a little late for first period, but..." I give Tidus a final look of malicious intent. "...I think it'll be worth it in the end."

We approach him slowly—calculatingly, as he desperately tries to scooch his feet away from us as much as possible. A pointless endeavor, seeing that he's already backed up against a wall.

"No way, man!" Tidus jumps and makes a beeline for the exit. The fool—does he not realize that Kairi is a walking freak of nature and used to be on the track team?

"Where d'ya think you're going?!" Kairi takes ahold of his arm and pins him to the nearest wall. "Thought you could get away, huh? Not after you do that to my Sora, you won't!"

I give my best attempt at a maniacal chuckle. "Okay, let's get him out of here. Rikku, lead the way."

Rikku salutes. "I'm on it, chief!"

The fact that Tidus is literally quivering in his shoes right now is adding so many more years to my current lifespan. "What are you guys doin'? You guys are crazy—let me go! S-Stop!" he says once we reach for him. "Yo, how many times I gotta say that I'm sorry, okay? P-Please!"

Silly boy—he knows not that his begging only makes us stronger.

"Stop..." Tidus wails. "STOP!"

* * *

Helloooo! And yes, that last scene was intentionally over the top lol.

So, what happened to Tidus at the end there? I'll leave that up to you guys interpretation *evil grin*

Pretty fast update considering how long I usually take, huh? I'm gonna try to get these out faster if I can. I pretty know what I want to accomplish from this point all the way to the end. There's room for spouts of inspiration to come and for improvisation, but I pretty know what's going to happen. But there's still a LOT to get done with this so I'm going to try my best to race to the finish line!

This chapter was more on the lighthearted side. I know it didn't progress the plot much so I'm kind of expecting fewer reviews and that's okay. I actually planned for more to happen in this chapter but the two scenes up there ended up going on MUCH longer than I originally anticipated and I had to split what I had intended for this chapter into two unfortunately. It sucks, because one of the things I have a pet peeve with my own writing is how long I take to get to the action sometimes. I'm trying to work on that! ^^; it's sort of the problem with having not planned the whole story right from the start. When I first started this story I had an idea of what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go, but it wasn't written and I hadn't gone into much depth until somewhere around chapter 7. But, I guess in my defense, I did start this story two years ago as of last August so please go easy on me haha future stories will definitely be planned from start to finish from now on.

UGH I just wanna write some more Roxas and Xion scenes! That's what this fic is supposed to be, a RokuShi! Geez. I'll try to get on that soon.

Well, as always, please be honest with me in a review and tell me how you feel about this chapter if it's not troubling! I truly do appreciate it and the reviews motivate me to keep writing. I take none of them for granted :)

Oh and special thanks to **superspreegirl89 and TheNotSoTalentedPoet** for both taking the time to beta read this for me!

Guest responses!

 **Guest #1:** That's still up in the air of course, but who knows? Anything can happen!

 **Guest #2:** Awww, your review is one of the reviews that motivated me to get back to work on this chapter! I'm so happy to hear that Xion makes you laugh, it's all I can hope for with her narration :D and that means a lot! I'm very glad that you're enjoying it! I agree, a lot of stories and fics tend to keep their main character relatively basic and then the supporting cast around them is usually a bit more vibrant and colorful, which I think can work in its own right, but I tend to try to make my main character just as, if not more interesting as their supporting cast. I pay a LOT of attention to my characters lol they're what drive the story. Thanks so much for leaving a review and taking the time to read!

Alright, that's it for this one! I promise to try to pick things up faster in the future chapters and get back into some more RokuShi. I've had to put Roxas on the backburner a little bit to focus more on Xion and developing her, but I think it's time to bring the focus back to them as a pair. As for this chapter, I hope you guys found it at least somewhat amusing! Don't take this one too seriously, aside from the Terra scene, it was pretty much just to ease up the mood from the past couple of chapters :)

Big thanks to **ForsakenXIII, SuperSoldier8973, The Sage of 1000 Games, TheNotSoTalentedPoet, JustAFanfictionReader, Dream Fighter75, FoeHammerE419, FandomSupporter15, the guests, snow. x. fairy, SummonerDagger88, and Sinful Serenata** for all having reviewed at the time of this posting. Sending all of my virtual hugs to all of you!

 **#bananasquad**


	17. Forgiveness

**Chapter 17**

Well, today was _almost_ a good day.

So close. Lunch wasn't half bad. Aced my physics test with ease. I'm still reveling in the success of my revenge plot against Tidus with the help of some unlikely frien—uh, companio—uh, associates. But once the final bell rang, I had to literally hold back my vomit at the prospect of meeting with Terra only an hour later.

And here we are.

I stare blankly at the front door. Unfortunately, getting fired from Shoyu Shoyu was a worst-case scenario. It was always the perfect excuse to evade Terra. Part of me wishes Kairi were a dude. Maybe then, I'd feel more comfortable asking her to protect me from this maniac. Tidus is one thing, but Terra is strong.

I ready myself to rap my knuckles against the wooden entryway, but my resolve chokes up. If I want to run, this is my last chance.

But the chance is over the second the door swings open without warning. My mood physically and mentally decays seeing him in all his stupid glory wearing a white tank and gray sweatpants. To let him know just how thrilled I am to be here, I give an unenthusiastic, "Hey." I expect some equally sarcastic response back but I'm only given two piercing blue eyes that look like they're attempting to burrow holes into mine. "And a howdy hoo to you too."

I'm guessing it has with to do whoever he's on the phone with. He gestures me inside and I bitterly enter the beast's domain. The first area is the usual small, dimly lit living room; a futon and a table littered with presumably empty beer cans and a bag of chips are situated before a small, flat-screen TV with two sound speakers on the side and abstract paintings splashed with color hang from the walls.

I gag upon examination and carefully pick up the bag. "Can't even tidy up for a girl, huh? Rude. Does Balthier accept such slobbery?" Balthier, being his roommate. "Where is he, anyway? He's cute."

He sends an unwavering look of contempt from his peripheral view as he leans against his TV stand.

"Yup. I hate you too," I retort before tossing a chip into my mouth.

"I said it was a work in progress," he argues into his phone, ignoring me. "You know my situation more than anybody. I said I'd have everything covered by the end of the month. You're not even giving me a chance to—hey, will you shut the fuck up for a second and let me finish a goddamn sentence?"

"Is everything okay?" I ask, plopping onto the futon, trying to get comfortable (which isn't saying much). "Uh, landlord?"

"Mom," Terra corrects nonchalantly.

"Uh, right. That was my second guess," I reply sarcastically. I can't imagine talking to my mother like that.

"What does it matter to you?" he asks, returning to his phone. "It's none of your business who I'm with. Yeah? Well, not anymore, it isn't. I'll do whatever I damn well please in my own fucking house. What the fuck are you talking about? I'm a grown man."

Geez, tone down the dick pride. I'd hardly call the ripe age of eighteen enough to spout declarations of fully developed maturation. Terra shuts his eyes and keeps quiet. She must be really mouthing off but all I can hear is a faint, high-pitched voice that sounds like gibberish.

"Shut up," Terra yells, making me jump and nearly drop the bag in shock. "I told you not to bring that up! What the fuck is the matter with you? Oh, fuck you! You're just a fucking slut."

"Hey, cut it out," I yell back at him, but the snap of his neck makes me shrink like a turtle recoiling into its shell. "I-I mean, that's your mom, you know?"

His gaze doesn't move for a lengthy ten seconds before he angrily marches into the kitchen next door. Okay, Xion—hast thou learnt nothing, ye fool? Keep your big mouth shut. It's standard "How to Survive Terra" 101. Don't make the situation worse. Just stay in your lane and keep your composure.

After the self-pep talk, I zone out to whatever reality show happens to be broadcasted at the moment. This totally killed my plans for today. Not to mention, Sora. He would kill me if he knew what was about to go down. Then he would revive me and apologize profusely for resorting to violence. Then he would kill me again after remembering why he killed me in the first place.

After fifteen minutes, Terra storms back into the living room with a bottle of booze. "I said no!" he yells after taking a big chug. "No, you're out of line! I'll pay you by the end of the month. No, shut the fu—shut the fuck up and let me talk. No, you fucking bitch, that wasn't the agreement! No, I said—" He hurls the phone towards the wall and it smashes into pieces. "FUCK."

My shoulders turn into cement. Okay, officially freaked out. Terra is the type to take his frustration out on the first thing available to him. And he's drunk. Double combo. He rakes his hands through his long, unruly brunet hair and exhales shakily as if he just finished running track.

I clear my throat and hesitate to speak up. "You okay?" Terra turns towards me in a split second and my fear makes a resurgence. "Soooo. I'm just gonna assume you want some privacy. So I'll be going now." I grab my bag and make a break for the exit, but Terra steps in front of me and snags my wrists, ignoring my physical protests.

"Nah, I'm good," he says with a dark glower. I'm shoved back while he practically rips his shirt off.

What's the use? When his mind is made up, there isn't a mountain that can compare to his stubborn resolve. Oh god. Terra is sexually aggressive, and that's when he's in a _good_ mood. Okay, okay. Step one, don't wet yourself. Step two, don't fail step one.

Terra pins me against the wall. "Take this shit off," he says, motioning to my shirt.

I hurry and comply, leaving my upper half exposed in nothing but a pale bra. Terra swoops down and sends a trail of kisses down the side of my neck, lifting my right leg to deepen this vulgar embrace. I stretch my neck in an effort to keep as much distance as possible and whimper meekly under his dominance. When he pulls back, there's fire in his eyes. He makes a hard fist and before I can question him, his fingers are tightly wrapped around my throat. His grip gets stronger with each passing second. I grab onto his forearm in an attempt to pull him away, but it's no use. "St-Starhp!"

And as if hit with a dawning of realization, Terra quickly releases me and I gasp for air. Crouched down, I place one hand on my throat and the other on my bumping chest in an attempt to calm down. Terra gives me some distance and leans against the wall with his head hung low.

"S-Sorry," he stammers. "Didn't mean to go that far. Just frustrated."

"Gee, I didn't notice," I return breathlessly, trying to sound like I'm _not_ on the verge of tears. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

Terra doesn't answer immediately. Instead, he buries his face into his palms and squats to his ankles. "I just—damn it," he says. "Just go, all right? Not in the mood anymore."

Don't have to tell me twice. I should hurry before he changes his mind. I quickly slip my shirt back on and rush towards the exit as fast as humanly possible. I fiddle with the doorknob before jerking it open and slamming it back with twice the fervor. I waste no time bolting down the left sidewalk without looking back. And for the love of Chocobo, can I please never have to go back there ever again?

I keep my sights aligned with the end of the street. Eventually, my sprinting devolves into a brisk walk and I give my surroundings an inspection. Terra lives in a more suburban district of Twilight Town. His house is on a modest avenue; to my left and right are gardens ranging from small to medium proportion in front of an array of generally white houses, separated by fences.

Calm yourself, woman. Let's take a deep breath and try to rationalize the situation. What now? I just escaped the clutches of blinding lust and death. I could definitely go for a much needed and long overdue paopu smoothie. And to my convenience, a tram stop is right at this corner. I sit on the bench, giving the cute old lady already seated a brief but friendly greeting, and hastily rummage through my backpack for my bus card. Damn it, where is it? I made sure to have it last night.

I stop once the old lady rests her hand on mines. Her eyes are thin and clearly aged, but sincere. She must see how worked up I am and is wordlessly communicating that I take a chill pill. I give a thankful smile and decide to sit back, allowing my anxiety to unwind and my thoughts to unclutter. Only now do I notice how serene my surroundings are. No cars whizzing by with loud honks trailing or the constant hustle and bustle of downtown—just peace. A mellow shade of orange and the creeping shadows of dusk complement the scenery. My fear subsides after taking in a fresh breath of freedom. Cute old lady is right. I've been way too restless lately. I should relax more often; maybe I can treat Kairi and me to an extremely necessary spa day sometime soon.

Besides, the day is still young enough, right? I suppose I've put it off for as long as I can.

I fish for my phone and text Kairi asking if she'll accompany me, only to receive a response moments afterward.

 **Not today. Volleyball practice. Sorry! :( - The bae Kairi**

Oh, right. That girl sure does keep herself busy.

I suppose there's—him.

I wonder if he's busy. Should I call? What if I end up interrupting something? Come on. Just a casual trip to the hospital. It's not date material. Besides, we're just friends. A friend that I've kissed before... one that has flirted with me both ironically and unironically...

It's totally normal!

What happened? I used to announce my talent for sucking dick to the clouds and hold my head up high afterward, and now I've been reduced to an anxious mess just to ask a boy I like—platonically, mind you—to accompany me to the hospital. Right. _That's_ why you're nervous, Xion. Keep telling yourself this.

Screw it. Grow a metaphorical pair.

And thus, through the power of my metaphorical balls, I find the willpower to tap his contact name and wait for his pickup. But the answer I receive isn't what I was expecting.

"Whoa! Hey, slow your role," Roxas says through laughter.

"Uh, Roxas?"

"Oh, sorry. What's cookin' good lookin'?"

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing important. What's up?"

I pause for a moment and decide to let it go. "I was wondering if you could maybe sorta kinda come pick me up? I'm at Tram Boulevard. I want to visit my mom today and I thought I could introduce you. But if you're busy—"

"First date and I'm already being introduced to your folks?" Roxas asks. "You really _do_ love me."

I roll my eyes playfully. "Yes, you're a dream come true, Roxas."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Roxas says. "You just earned a very high-ranking position in my future harem with that one."

"Will you just come get me?" I ask. "This is going to be kinda difficult, and I could really use a friendly face to help me through it."

"Everything okay?" he asks. "My shoulder's always open for crying, you know."

I smile. "Thank you, but it's nothing that serious. Just—don't embarrass me." Oh, please. This is Roxas we're talking to, Xion.

"No promises." Roxas laughs. "On my way."

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

I stand the moment the infamous blue Camry pulls up to the curb. It'll be nice to finally spend time with him, just the two of us. No big-titted bimbos or loudmouthed perverts getting in my way.

Roxas opens the door and waves. He wears a white, long-sleeved tee with a short brown vest overlapping it, slightly ripped skinny jeans, his usual black and gray shoes with red laces, all topped off with a stylish fedora. Whatever stress that previously weighed me down disperses into butterflies the moment I get a look at that familiar grin. "Heya!" he says cheerfully.

I return the wave and open my mouth, but freeze the moment I hear an unfamiliar, high-pitched yipping. Oh no. Is that what I think it is?

And sure enough, comes a speedy little white and black furball bolting out of the car. Out of instinct, I let out a fearful squeak and awkwardly stand on one leg as the fuzzy demon barks passionately while running laps around me.

"Roxas, who is this beast and why is it here?!"

"My new pet dragon, obviously." Roxas steps out of his car with a chuckle. "She's a stray. I found her in a box near the alleyway earlier and decided to take her to the vet." He crouches down to pet the furball, which she kindly accepts. "Turns out she's an American Eskimo mixed with a husky. Apparently, it's a pretty expensive breed, so it's a bit odd that someone would just leave her out there."

Great. Even a dog is cockblocking my time with Roxas.

This oversized hairy rat looks at me with her big, shining brown eyes and her tongue hangs from her jaw, her tails animated all the while. I curse under my breath and guard myself with disgust. "Is it diseased?"

"What's with you? It's just a little puppy." The fur-coated vermin barks as if in agreement or to show whatever form of cuteness it's attempting to display. And I'm not saying that because it's cute in any way, shape, or form! It is a disgusting little tramp.

"Easy for you to say." Most tend to resent children and prefer the company of pets. I'm the opposite. I absolutely adore children but pets can be eradicated from the planet as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, I know. I probably lost a couple of brownie points for that one, but if you knew my history with dogs, you'd understand. I look up to find Roxas making a poor attempt to stifle his laughter. "What's so funny?" I ask annoyingly.

"Your face," he says, pointing at me. "Don't tell me you're scared of dogs."

"No, I am not," I resound proudly. "I just don't like pets, is all. They're overrated. All they do is use you for food and turn your house into their personal bathroom." I cringe at the memories of having to deal with Kairi's bastard canine throughout the years, otherwise known as Satan himself. For years, I've mourned all my innocent skirts, dresses, and leggings that sneaky prick sunk his unwarranted teeth into. The times he stole my food and hid under the couch, chewing away while blatantly looking me straight in the eye and dodging my attempts to murder his punk ass with a broom. And I'll never forget the time he pulled the shower curtain in Kairi's bathroom and ran downstairs while I was washing off after a rough day of soccer practice, leaving me completely exposed.

Fuck you, Pluto!

"You're overreacting." Roxas picks it up and ruffles its fur. "You can't be _that_ heartless. How can you resist such a cutie wootie? Just wook at dat face," he coos while practically shoving the grotesque degenerate directly at me. Due to our proximity, she decides to lick me on the cheek. Clever. Trying to sway my trust with endearing and affectionate manipulation, are you? Well, it won't work!

I wipe the spot dry. "Gross. I didn't give consent," I say while pushing her head away.

Roxas frowns. "You're so mean. Fluffy wouldn't hurt a fly."

I stare confusedly as he puts the ferocious fiend back on the ground where it goes sniffing about the grass. "Fluffy? That's the best you could come up with?"

Roxas grins bashfully. "Okay, so it's tentative until I can think of something better."

"I have a couple ideas." I give the abominable wench a look. "They might be a little inappropriate, though. Or appropriate, if you wanna get technical."

Roxas scratches the back of his scalp. "Something tells me I don't wanna hear em."

"Can we just go before _it_ decides to grow two extra heads?"

He shakes his head. "Fine. But I'm taking _her_ with us, mind you."

"Ughhh, why?" I ask in a whiny voice. Though, I'm not really surprised. He rescued the damn thing, after all.

"Well, I can't just leave her out here all by herself. C'mon, have a heart." Roxas activates some sort of secret weapon that I was unaware of and his eyes grow wider and gleam of purity and innocence. "Please? For me?"

Since when was Roxas capable of such emotional manipulation that is both incredibly irritating and adorable at the same time? I close my eyes and attempt to block out the intensified cuteness but that doesn't stop me from peeking. Oh god. I'm going to regret this, aren't I?

"Fine," I groan, admitting defeat and stubbornly fold my arms.

Roxas smiles victoriously. "Yeah, you love me," he says, kissing me on the cheek.

Hey, hold up, not cool! I frantically slap him against the chest and try to hide the inevitable blush that follows. Why does he do things like that so nonchalantly? "Not at all."

Roxas smirks, clearly not believing a word. Bastard. He has me in the palm of his hand and he knows it. But for the record, I blame the doe eyes. "All right, gang. Let's move out. Onward!" He whistles, making _it_ turn around from its former inspection of the nearby bench and scamper towards us barking all the while. I instinctively hide behind Roxas, just in case the untamed savage makes any sudden moves.

Roxas looks back at me and chuckles. "You're so cute."

I hide my embarrassment with a growl. "I am _not_ cute."

After an edgy chuckle, he picks up the furball and slips back into his car. Considering its small size, I hang my backpack around the passenger's seat and buckle myself in afterwards. Roxas gives me a weary smile.

"What is it?" I ask, dreadfully.

"Think you could hold her for me?" he asks. "She's still pretty small. I don't want her to get hurt in the backseat."

"Are you kidding me?" I ask angrily. "You want me to _touch_ it?"

But Roxas simply switches the doe eyes back on and only fifteen seconds later do I find myself wearing a perturbed grimace through the rearview mirror, leaning against the window with the hideous hairball hiking itself up on my thigh trying to get a peek at the scenery passing by outside. Her eyes shine with excitement as if the whole world is a playground to behold.

"So you like outside, huh? I can always throw you out this window if you want." I see Roxas shaking his head through my peripheral. As a response to my threat, it decides to lick my hand. Okay, that's _kinda_ cute. I squint, refusing to fully let my guard down too easily. "Oh, you're good..."

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

"There it is." I point at the hospital. Roxas pulls into the spacey parking lot and begins looking for a place to park that's relatively close to the main entrance, despite a number of reserved spots for the handicapped.

"So, why's your mom here?" he asks. "I remember you telling me she was in the hospital a while back, but you never said why. Come to think of it, you haven't mentioned much of anything about your parents."

I hug my arm and hesitate before answering. Recollecting my background has always been embarrassing for me. I'm not exactly the type to go around dishing out sob stories for the sake of everyone else's pity, so I generally keep those types of things to myself unless it's someone I consider close. But Roxas has been a friend for a while and has already tolerated me at my lowest. I'd say he's earned it.

"Well," I begin shakily. "She's got cancer."

"What?" he says with evident surprise.

"Yeah," I affirm, my smile melancholic and bashful. "Bladder cancer, if you want to be specific. Thankfully, she should be out soon so don't worry about it too much."

Roxas seems uncharacteristically gloomy by the news. "I didn't know. Sorry to hear that. And I'm even more sorry I didn't ask sooner." He scratches his cheek, looking embarrassed. "Come to think of it, I never asked for your side of things, did I?"

"No biggie." I try to give a reassuringly upbeat face. "She's been recovering a lot lately, and her surgery went okay. But she's still got a little while before she can leave. Things have been rough since she's been gone, though." I sigh. "Can't wait 'til it's all over."

"Rough?" Roxas asks, pulling into the closest space he can find (which isn't saying much considering we're still a good seven rows back). "How rough we talking?"

"Like, our family could barely function without her and we had to pick up the slack kind of rough." I lean on the window and watch the clouds snail by. "I don't know all the details, but it had something to do with her insurance and Dad had to spend our last penny on the surgery. After that, we agreed on a 'do whatever you can to keep a roof over our heads' mentality."

"That rough, huh?" Roxas says as the car stops vibrating. "Must've been hard."

I nod with indifference. "It is what it is." If it taught me one thing, it was the true meaning of adulthood. It's not about growing up and doing whatever you want; it's doing what's necessary at the cost of what you want. Sacrifice can be a virtue.

I catch Roxas looking at me from the corner of my eye.

"Hm?" I hum in question.

He waves it off with an odd smile. "Oh, uh, nothing. This place allows pets, right?"

"I think so. But I believe it needs to be on a leash." I inwardly fist pump since we have no such thing. But my enthusiasm goes down the drain when Roxas reaches for a "Choco Town" bag in the backseat and reveals an appropriately-colored pink harness.

"Good thing I got this thing then, huh?"

"Wow. You're fully prepared," I deadpan. Though, Roxas doesn't seem to detect my displeasure. That, or he just doesn't care.

"Sure am!" he says, beginning to help the pup into the harness despite her initial resistance. I look towards the back seat and notice a bouquet of flowers peering out from another bag.

"White orchids?" I wonder aloud. "They're pretty."

He glances up and looks as if he just remembered they were there. "Oh yeah, I picked them up for your mom on the way to you. I just hope that it's appropriate and I didn't sufficiently waste forty bucks," he says jokingly.

"No, that's sweet of you," I assure while assisting with the puppy effort. "You didn't have to do that."

He grins and wipes his nose. "Yeah, I did. You only get one first impression, after all. I was kinda stoked when you invited me."

"Were you? Funny, I was actually nervous about asking you. I know the hospital isn't exactly a wild ride or anything—"

"Hey," he cuts off gently. "No worries. Never hesitate to ask me for anything, you hear? You'll always have my support. I'll be there on the rainy days when you forget your umbrella, when somebody spits in your cereal, or when a pigeon shits in your mouth."

After cringing at the last one, I look at him with a mixture of confusion and glee. "You mean it?" His sincerity makes me smile somewhat dreamily.

He nods with conviction. "Of course. Think of me as your unofficial cheerleader, except without the skirt and pom-poms."

I giggle at the imagery. "Great, now I all I want is to see you in a female cheerleader outfit."

"Please. The world ain't ready for this sweet piece of ass to take the scene." I roll my eyes. "Besides, I'm never opposed to hanging out with you. So don't question me, okay?" He winks. "And I'm interested to know who big, bad Xion's mother is and if she's as headstrong as her daughter."

I scoff at the remark. "You're one to talk. You remind me of her actually. You're both silly, optimistically dense, sometimes annoyingly so," I mutter that last part underneath my breath, "and somewhat reckless."

"Really?" He grins mischievously while retrieving the flowers. "Sounds like my kind of gal. Well, let's go put a smile on this lady, yeah?"

I chuckle and nod. "Let's."

We exit the car and the little sh—I mean, girlie (because I'm attempting to be nice and not call her an expletive but I refuse to call her something as basic as "Fluffy") rushes towards the entrance, pushing forward on her tiny legs. She's much faster than she looks. Some children and their father pass her by on their way out the front door and soon enough, she's happily accepting their infatuation. What an attention whore. Roxas and I catch up and apologize to the parent for the trouble before practically dragging her inside. I take much enjoyment in yanking the leash for the little tramp to follow behind, but Roxas scolds me and revokes me of my leash privileges in fear that I'll choke the life out of her. Which he's not wrong about.

We approach Mrs. Shimomura at the front desk. She's chewing her gum like always. "Long time no see!" she says. "I've missed you, sweetie. Where have you been? I haven't seen you in weeks."

I give a remorseful smile while signing Roxas and me in on the sign-in sheet. "Hi, Yoko. Just been busy."

Roxas gives a friendly greeting. Yoko lowers her glasses and inspects him from head to toe. "I see. Got a boyfriend, huh? No wonder you've been such a ghost," she says teasingly.

Roxas laughs and it only makes me blush harder. I'm not sure what to say. Do I deny it? Do I just not answer? I mean, sure, Roxas and I are friends, but again, a friend that I've kissed before.

"It's not like that," Roxas answers, waving it off respectfully while I try to internally dismiss my disappointment. "I'm just here to give my support to Xion."

Yoko looks as if she doesn't believe him. "That's what they all say."

But it seems to fly over his head. "I'm Roxas, by the way."

"Mrs. Shimomura. Although, that hasn't stopped your lady friend here from calling me by my first name. So I suppose I'll have to grant you the honor as well." She gives me a playfully chastising look.

I stick my tongue out. "Hey, I've been a regular for a whole year. I think I've earned first name basis rights by now."

"Just make sure you don't do it on the job," she teases. A few barks from below take us out of our conversation. "Is that your dog?"

Roxas nods. "We were wondering if we could bring her up with us?"

Mrs. Shimomura nods. "Sure, go ahead. Most hospitals around here have a lot more requirements but it just so happens that Twilight isn't too strict about it. We haven't had any reason to convince us otherwise. Not yet, at least."

Roxas and I share an equally perplexed look. That was way too convenient.

"Thanks, Yoko. We appreciate it," I say before leading Roxas to the elevator. I press for the third floor while taking part in mindless conversation with him, making the following act of the little furball deciding to go on an afternoon race and scurry out of the elevator as soon as the bell rings and the door opens, all the more surprising.

I give Roxas an incredulous look. Did he really just accidentally let the dog loose? He must want me to never visit my mom in the hospital ever again. But the big goof just rubs the back of his head shamefully. "Whoops," is the mouthful of disappointment that follows.

"You had _one_ job, Roxas."

We scope the area and I spot her running down the appropriate hallway where my mother's room resides. And thankfully, no employees seem to be down that way.

"I'll go get her," I inform. "You let that nurse know we're here."

"Roger!" Roxas salutes, albeit failing, due to him saluting with the hand in which he holds the bouquet and hits himself on the side of his head with it instead.

I shoo Roxas away and speed walk down the hall, keeping the hairball within my sights before somebody puts an abrupt stop to her sprint and lifts her from the ground. She remains excitable, completely unaware of what's going on and continues to happily wag her tail. I exhale relievingly as I catch up to the hero of the day.

"Thank you so much," I say as I get closer. "I'm so sorry about—"

But I stop upon discovering _who_ put a stop to the troublemaker's antics and instantly a big frown overthrows my relief. Sleeveless purple shirt? Check. Headphones? Check. Spiky orange hair? Check, check, check.

Neku freezes for a second when our eyes meet but it isn't long before his face eases back into a blank canvas. Roxas catches up amidst our awkward staredown, flowers in hand, and looks equally hesitant. He must recognize Neku from the time I slapped him at Katakana House. "Oh," Roxas says while coming to a halt. "This should be fun."

"More like exasperating," I add with a groan.

"This yours?" Neku asks, referring to the highly energized puppy.

"Uh, yeah," Roxas says while I carefully take the puppy off Neku's hands. "Thanks. Nice hair, dude."

"I get that a lot," Neku returns plainly, before setting his sights onto me. "Xion," is apparently all that he has on his mind to share. Quite the poet, isn't he?

"What the hell are you doing here and why won't you just exit out of my life already?"

He stuffs his hands in his pockets, a familiar stance of his. "I was in the neighborhood. Was with my dad and he wanted to see your mom. Remember when the house we used to live in got trashed and robbed?" I nod, recalling the memory. "Mrs. Spades was the one who pitched in to help us clean and replaced the missing items. She bought them herself. Ever since, my dad acts like he owes her his life."

I look up and realize that we have indeed stopped at the exact room where my mom stays. "What does that have to do with you?" I ask.

"Can't stop by because I just wanted to say hi since I genuinely liked your mom?"

"No," I say, as if it's obvious. "Don't you know how awkward that is? Personal relations with friends and family is strictly forbidden in the unofficial ex-boyfriend contract."

Neku eyes Roxas up and down. The latter salutes casually with his free hand, being sure to not use the bouquet hand this time around. "But seriously, give me the name of your hair gel product. Prompto," Roxas says, trying to lighten the mood.

"Who's this?" Neku asks, pointing a thumb at Roxas.

I contemplate the temptation of revealing Roxas as my boyfriend just make him jealous, but decide against it. I don't want to put Roxas in an awkward position. "A friend. What does it matter to you?"

Neku studies him carefully for a second before returning his focus onto me. "I just think it's funny that we keep crossing paths like this."

"Yes, hilarious," I reply in a dry voice. "Let me guess, you're going to bring up your previous proposal?"

Neku shrugs. "Depends on you. The offer is still open."

Unfortunately, I haven't had anybody to rely on. I've gone over any other potential options—and there are none. Sora isn't enrolling into Daybreak University until next year and I am most definitely not putting up with Terra for twelve more months. Neku really is the only one I could ever hope to get me access inside, but the thought still makes me want to claw at the inside of my face.

"To tell you the truth, I have thought about it," I admit, trying to sound a bit calmer. "Quite frankly, I feel like I may not have any other choice. You're all I've got right now. But I'm still undecided on whether or not I can trust you to behave."

He approaches me swiftly. "Well, I might have had a thought or two about what we used to be—and what could've been."

Roxas steps in front of me. "Whoa, easy there, hair god. Let's respect proximities unless given consent, okay? You won't be getting all touchy-feely when I'm around." Roxas glances at the flowers and then back at Neku. "Okay, I know I don't look very intimidating right now, mind you, but don't fuck with me. I have the power of god and anime on my side."

I inwardly groan and bump Roxas to the side with my shoulder. "Look, I'm still thinking about it. Okay? But please, don't get your hopes up."

Neku looks disappointed. "I can respect that. But I need an answer soon. Just know that I am sorry. And I want to make up for what I did. I'm not saying you have to forgive me or that I want us to get back together. But if you need my help, I'll be here. I always have been."

I pause, unsure of what to say. Admittedly, he does sound genuinely sorry. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he were willing to respect my space. To be honest, what I fear most is myself. Taking a chance being around him means taking a chance at falling right back, which means taking a chance at being hurt again.

Neku's father exits the room right on cue and seems glad to see me again after so long, enveloping me into a brief hug and I return the favor (well, as much as I can with a puppy in my possession). He's surprised that Neku and I are still cordial after the breakup. For the sake of putting on appearances and saving him the trouble, Neku and I pretend to be friendly. After introducing Roxas and a brief session of small talk, the two make their exit. I let out a sigh full of relief. Pretending to still _like_ that jerk was painful.

"Well, that was amazing. You didn't turn into She-Hulk," Roxas says, breaking me out of my reverie.

"I'm surprised myself," I say honestly. I suppose I've sobered up to him slightly since it cost me my job the last time I got angry at him.

He places a hand on my shoulder. "You know I'd never let him hurt you, right?"

I return a smile. "I'll hold you to that."

Roxas bumps his chest. "I gotchu, girl." I roll my eyes while he knocks on the door.

"Wow, more visitors?" rings her spirited voice from the other side. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Twin," I return, somewhat embarrassed already by the bubbling intrigue on Roxas' face. "And I brought a friend with me."

"Twin?!" she shouts. "Get in here right now, you meanie!"

Maybe bringing Roxas here was a mistake. Said boy raises an amused eyebrow at me. "Meanie?"

"Long story," I answer. Like a gentleman, Roxas opens the door and allows me to enter first. As expected, my mother sits on her bed garbed in the traditional white gown, still radiant as always. I take note of all the flowers and bags of presents displayed on the table that's a few feet away from her. Wow, Mom sure is popular. She has a big smile on her face and I don't fail to notice that she still has her headband on.

She outstretches her arms and beckons me in for a hug. "C'mere, Twin!"

I give Roxas the puppy, whom he holds in the crook of his arm, and gladly accept Mom's offer. Her embrace is warm, gentle, and safe. I'm flooded with a warm surrogate of memories; like all the times Mom cheered me up, healed any injuries I got from practice, her consistent encouragement, and her obligatory "I love you's" right before bed, even when I was sixteen.

And then I'm whacked out of my nostalgic daydream upside the back of my head with a rolled-up newspaper. "Ouchie!"

I rub my head and open my eyes to find Mom frowning at me with her arms folded and the aforementioned newspaper in her left hand. "And _that_ was for not visiting me for the past month and a half. I was worried about you! What a way to thank the woman who wiped your baby bottom when you were just the size of a peanut!"

She just won't let that go. Roxas chuckles on the side and it's at this moment where I wish I could curl up into a ball and rot. But alas, I proceed. "Y-Yeah, sorry about that," I stutter. "I've wanted to see you for a while now but I just couldn't bring myself to it. You know, after last time."

Mom nods understandingly and shifts her attention to the (presumably, from her perspective) mysterious boy with golden blond hair to my right. "And who's this handsome young man? Have you brought me my new son-in-law?"

I face palm but Roxas seems to roll with it. "That's right! I came here to ask for Xion's hand in marriage if it's alright with you. However, I came here to meet with her mother but I guess all I could find was you, her gorgeous sister."

Oh, how original. Mom caresses her chin for a moment with a devious grin before giving me a look. "I approve. I want this guy's kids—"

"Mom!"

"—as my grandchildren. Geez, let me finish, will you?"

"That's not much better."

"But it _is_ better, right?" Roxas asks slyly.

"That's not the point." I puff out my cheeks. "If _this_ is what I'm up for with this guy as my future husband—," I say while gesturing at the both of them, "—then forget it."

Mom and Roxas laugh, making me unable to bite back a contagious smile myself. I must say, this feels a lot more natural than I thought. Still embarrassing for me, mind you, but it fits with my prior theory that Roxas and Mom's personalities seem pretty compatible.

"Mom, this is my friend from school. Roxas, meet my mom."

The two shake hands. "Just call me Mrs. Yuffie," Mom says. "Or Mother-in-law, whichever you like."

"Please, Mom," I groan.

"A select few know me as Bob Saget," Roxas says, ignoring my protests. "But call me Roxas."

Mom giggles at the odd introduction. "Got it memorized!" Haven't I heard that line from somewhere before? I get this strange feeling of deja vu. Eh, probably not. "And who's this?" she asks, a twinkle in her eye when noticing the puppy. The little one responds accordingly and hops out of Roxas' possession to greet my mother with kisses. Mom nose kisses her in return. "Aren't you just the most adorable little thing on this side of town!"

"Thanks, I try," says Roxas. "Oh, you mean the dog! Right." I bump him on the shoulder. "I'm just kidding." He laughs, and Mom joins in. "I found her right before Xion called me. Looks like she doesn't have a place to call home."

Mom gasps. "Oh, no! That's no good." She pouts while petting the pup's head. "Aww, it's okay. What's her name?"

I scratch my head. "Good question, actually..."

Roxas opens his mouth. "Well—"

"No."

I interrupt before he can waste his breath with the inevitably bland and uninspired "Fluffy." Roxas pouts but ultimately accepts defeat. Good boy. Mom and the puppy seem to be locked in some kind of telepathic staring contest before a lightbulb pops over the former's head. "Ooh! How about Honey?"

The puppy barks as if in agreement. Okay, does she seriously understand us? That's like the third time she's shown the capability to somehow comprehend English. But that isn't a bad name. In fact, it's kinda cute. I'm still not sure how I feel about the little furball, but even I couldn't accept her wearing the title of Fluffy.

"I like it," I say happily.

Roxas keeps a finger to his chin. "That's not bad. I was thinking maybe Megatron or Godzilla since those are totally appropriate, but Honey is just a _little_ better."

"Yeah, just a little," I respond sarcastically.

"Honey, it is," Mom says proudly.

"Oh, and before I forget," Roxas says while he presents the bouquet of flowers to her. "These are for you, madam!"

Mom places a hand to her chest. "Ohh, more flowers! How thoughtful of you." She accepts the present graciously, before almost immediately turning stone-faced and tosses the flowers onto the same table filled to the brim with gifts (specifically flowers) and the bouquet just slips off the table.

Roxas winces at the blow and leans over to me. "Did I just ruin my first impression?" he whispers.

"No. But I do think that you sufficiently wasted forty bucks," I whisper back playfully.

"That's the fourteenth bouquet of flowers I've received from a visitor within the past—" she stops to think for a moment, "—week." She then smiles. "But you know, what matters most is the thought. The fact that you cared enough to buy your friend's mother a gift says a lot about you, young man!"

Roxas rubs the back of his head. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Although, would it kill anyone to bring me a freakin' book for once," she mutters darkly under her breath. Roxas eyes me somewhat anxiously due to her sudden shift. Mom notices and takes his hand. "Oh no, please don't worry about it! Like I said, it really is the thought that counts! It's a beautiful thing to see such thoughtfulness in someone so young, and it makes perfect sense that you would go for the safe option. This is our first time meeting, after all." Her expression turns dark again and she looks at me. "Your lousy, good-for-nothing _father_ on the other hand—"

"Mom, I'll be sure to buy you a book next time," I say with an anxious smile myself. "Just please stop scaring my friend."

"Oh, right! Sorry about that, buddy," Mom says, releasing him. "This is what twenty years of marriage looks like. Drives you mad."

Roxas snakes an arm around my shoulders. "I'm sure I'll understand when me and my new fiancé here grow old and gray together as the years go by."

"Okay, how about we drop the marriage thing?" I ask with my shoulders hiked up. A faint chuckle fills the room. I give Roxas a pleading, but apologetic look. "Hey, I hate to ask, but do you mind if I talk to her alone for a second?"

Roxas shakes his head. "Oh, of course not! No worries, I'll be right out in the hallway if you need me." Roxas takes Honey away from Mom and gives her an earnest smile. "It was great meeting you."

"You too, Roxy." She smiles gratefully. "Stay healthy!"

Roxas waves like a little kid. "Bye, future Mom!"

I roll my eyes. Once Roxas exits, I pull up the nearest chair and twiddle my thumbs. "So, I... uh... well—" Now it's my turn to be cut off. Though, this time without words. Just a hug. "Mom?"

"I missed you," she says before pulling back, looking concerned but also relieved. "You worried this sickbed the last time you were here!"

I avert my eyes. "That's one of the main reasons why I'm here, actually. I'm just—really sorry about the way I acted last time. It was totally uncalled for and I didn't mean to curse at you, but a lot was going on around that time and—"

"You're okay." She gently lifts my chin and smiles. "I understand. We've put a lot on your shoulders, huh?"

"I mean, it's not a big deal or anything," I say, waving it off.

"Yes, it is," Mom says, looking more stern than usual. "Your father and I's health has really put a toll on our family. I'm not ignorant of that. You might want to think you've tapped into adulthood, but the truth is you're still just a baby. Yes, those things you said to me last time, it hurt at first. But when you left, it gave me time to think about things from your angle. And to have you deal with all of this, right now of all times when you should be focused on graduating, not your noisy mother." She sighs. "It must be stressful."

I give a confused look. "But Mom, you're the one who always said that—"

"Charity starts at home," she finishes. "And that's why I'm so proud of you. Do you know how many in your position would sacrifice time away from nurturing their own future just to take care of their family when it needs them most? Not many, I tell ya. But you, and your brother and sister, have all just been wonderful. The absolute best things to ever happen to my life were you three."

"Aww, Mom... can you not?" I ask. "You're gonna make me cry."

Mom only maintains her smile while she strokes my hair. "Please, don't cry. You know how I feel about tears. And don't apologize. I'm eternally grateful for you, and not a single day goes by when I don't think about you. You've done so much for me this past year, and I know it can be a bit of a hassle at times. But Xion, I love you. I love you so much. You don't have to apologize for anything. I should actually be thanking you for being here when I need you most. For being who you are."

This time, the huge smile on my face is literally inescapable. Though it takes slightly more strength to resist the tears but I do my best and take her hand, patting it gently to let her know how much she means to me.

Mom gives the peace sign and winks. "Besides, I've got thick skin! You call that an outburst? I've been through worse." She then locks me into the crook of her arm and gives me an unwelcomed noogie that I would normally fight against, but simply accept this time around. "But as punishment, I expect a visit every Friday! Am I clear?" she teases.

"Crystal," I affirm.

And this is why I love my mom with all of my heart. If anybody is deserving of a "Best Mom" T-Shirt, it is totally her. I stop when I hear the slow, dramatic applause of a single entity from behind. I turn around to find Roxas and Honey watching us from the doorframe. Geez. I thought he said he'd give us some privacy.

"Beautiful," he says, wiping a mock tear from his eye. I give Roxas a scolding look and he quickly takes the hint and makes his presence unfelt.

I give Mom one last look. After a breathy exhale, she gently closes her eyes and leans back into her pillow with an overall look of content and peace. Amidst our heartfelt reconciliation, I almost forgot that there were two major reasons for coming here. One, to apologize for last time, and two, to tell her just how I've been able to contribute to the money situation for the past couple of months. All the practice conversations I played out in my head were supposed to finally lead to this very moment. But when I look at her soft eyelashes and the spirit of serenity exuding from her smile, once again I feel my resolve choking up.

"I'm just so happy, Xion," she says, her eyes still closed. "I'm so happy that fate brought you and I together. That we have each other. It's truly a blessing."

I gulp. "Mom..."

Her eyes flutter open and she looks over at me as if I'm a sight for sore eyes. "Hm?"

"I, uh..." I begin, pursing my lips.

But soon enough I just shake my head and give a half forced and half sincere smile.

"I love you, Mom. More than anything."

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

Well, that went better than I was expecting.

Well, despite me chickening out at the last second there. I still can't help but be in bubbly spirits. What's important right now is that she's happy, and it felt inappropriate to bring up there. The time will come. "You guys really do look a lot alike," Roxas says, pulling me out of my thoughts as we descend in the elevator.

"Yeah," I say. "We get that a lot."

"She reminds me of you, too. And I don't just mean in appearance."

I stare confusedly. "What do you mean?"

He smirks knowingly. "Inside and out."

Whatever that means. I shake my head as we exit the elevator along with Honey, who's being led by Roxas, say goodnight to Mrs. Shimomura, and make our way outside where the sky has settled into dusk.

"Took you long enough."

We stop to find Neku waiting by the door with his back against the wall and his arms crossed.

"Is that supposed to be your 'cool' stance or something?" I ask.

Neku quickly pushes himself away from the wall and coughs into his fist. "Nah." He places his hands back into his pockets. "Just wanted to see if anything changed. I know it hasn't been long, but I was serious when I said I needed an answer soon."

"So you've been waiting here for the past hour and a half?" Roxas asks, an eyebrow raised. "Where's your dad?"

"Told him to not wait up," Neku answers. "Xion, I _want_ to help you. I don't want this to be any more difficult than it has to be. But trust me, I won't stop until you can finally look at me without looking like you're seconds away from killing me." He sighs. "I know what I did was wrong. It was stupid. How many times do I have to say it?"

"One million three hundred and seventy-two thousand more times would suffice," I answer plainly.

Neku rolls his eyes and continues. "Kairi explained the situation and I can get you inside Daybreak University. If you'll let me."

I sigh and place a hand on my hip. "Are you sure you can get me in?"

Neku brightens up. "Definitely. Look, I got enough to buy us both a ticket for a Gummi ship this Thanksgiving weekend. But I need to know now."

I look towards Roxas in hopes of him having any spiritual advice for me. It's a neutral look that says, "it's worth a shot." I suppose he's right. Neku is my best chance to find something out about Terra and maybe, just maybe get out of this mess. I guess it's my only option.

"Okay."

Neku grins triumphantly but tries to maintain his cool appearance by reducing his excitement down to a simple nod. "You won't regret this."

"However, I have a couple of conditions."

Neku gestures me to continue. "Sure, sure. Anything, babe."

"First of all, don't call me 'babe' for the entire duration of the trip."

Neku scratches the back of his scalp. "R-Right. Sure."

"Second of all, I want Roxas to accompany us."

"Wait, what?" the both of them say in synchronicity.

"What for?" Neku asks annoyedly.

"Unlike Roxas, I don't trust you and would like to have somebody with me just in case."

Neku gives Roxas a weary look and stuffs his hands into his pockets. Roxas merely shrugs. "Fine," he grumbles.

"In fact, I want _all_ of my friends to come along—including Kairi and maybe even Zidane. Just think of it as a good measure that you won't do anything stupid."

Neku groans. "He's not enough?"

To be honest, I'd rather have Kairi for the protection part. Roxas is just for me. "Those are my conditions," I say with conviction.

"I can pay for my own ticket, too," Roxas says with a smile.

Neku lets out a deep sigh. "Whatever."

"Perfect!" I chirp. "I'll let them know. It'll be like a mini-vacation. This weekend, right?"

Neku shakes off his disappointment and nods. "Yeah, this weekend."

"See you there." I wave him off and drag Roxas over to his car before Neku can change his mind.

"Road trip, huh?" Roxas asks once we're out of my ex's earshot. "That could be fun."

I rub my left arm. "Sorry for kinda throwing you into the mix so suddenly. You don't mind, do you?"

"It's cool." Roxas smiles. "My uncle will survive without me for one weekend," he says while slipping into the driver's seat. I get into the passenger's seat and Honey hops right back into my lap. "Then again, my standup _is_ pretty legendary."

I pat him on the shoulder. "If it helps you sleep at night."

"Haters gon hate."

He sure does just go with the flow, doesn't he? He'd really set time aside just for me? I smile apologetically. "Hey, are you sure? I don't want to get you in trouble or anything."

"You kiddin'? It'll be a vacation with you," Roxas says, starting up the car. "Too bad it can't be just the two of us, but what can you do."

No kidding. A road trip across worlds with my friends and ex-boyfriend to find my only hope for escaping Terra. This will either go really good or really bad.

"By the way," Roxas says. "About Honey..."

Uh oh. What about Honey? He gives me a strange look, as if the worst thing imaginable resided on the tip of his tongue. "Spit it out."

"So, the thing is," he starts, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, if it were up to me, I would totally take Honey home with me, but see, Ventus is allergic to fur of almost any kind. And I can't just toss her back out on the street, so I was wondering if you could... maybe..."

I scowl at him, making his voice grow softer with every word. "Are you seriously asking me to bring this insatiable witch back home with me so that she can pee on my bed and shed on my carpet?"

His eyes become skittish. "Y-Yeah...?"

"Absolutely not!" I answer and he flinches at the strength of my voice. "No way! Nuh uh! Hell would have to freeze over before I _ever_ have a useless pooch take up my precious time and energy. And for what? Absolutely nothing. Just a no-good, freeloading, greedy little furball!"

Then Roxas turns on the doe eyes.

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

And that's why I'm sitting on my bed in my sleepwear, forced to bear witness Honey chase her own tail on the floor below. I cringe with disgust as I study this wench, leaning against my fist. Damn that Roxas. Damn him to hell. Look at her, playing around like she's so innocent. She orchestrated this arrangement somehow.

"I wonder what cooked dog tastes like," I think aloud. Honey hops onto my bed and curls up in the crease of my lap. I keep my guard up. "You're not _that_ cute."

And then she squeaks with a yawn.

"Goddammit." I dramatically shut my eyes, at long last admitting defeat. "Why are you so _fucking_ cute?"

* * *

Omg the word count of this chapter is scaring the crap out of me x_x

I don't know why these things turn out longer than I originally aim for. I almost always aim for 5,000 words and 6,000 at the very most, but then this happens. And what's worse is that I still tried to cut a bit out, but it still turned out like this. I'm so sorry! But if you do take the time to read at all, I appreciate it a lot!

Well, this chapter was supposed to come out last week but my beta reader advised me to revise a little bit and I ended up not finishing it by late Sunday (which was basically Monday). So I decided to hold it off for today since school is back in full throttle.

Random, but that "I have the power of god and anime on my side" joke won't be there for long. I typically don't like referencing memes as jokes in my stories just because I feel like it dates the story so much by the next year. But it's something that's relatively recent so I put it in, but that's definitely subject to change soon.

This is also the last set up chapter! Things will definitely get rolling in the next one. So sorry for taking so long, I wanted to get to this point like three chapters ago but my word count always messed me up.

Fun fact, a friend of mine has a dog named Honey. That's where I got the name from ^^

I'm a little nervous about this chapter. I did a little bit of analyzing and I kinda figured out the main thing that I'm not happy about with this story in general. But I promised myself I would finish it so updates should be a bit more frequent. I want to focus on other ideas soon, but I'm holding back since I have this and a couple other stories I should be paying attention to. But this one is taking priority right now.

Oh, and I want to do a sort of spinoff fic of Sex Sells where I would go into the perspectives of other characters throughout this story. It's hard to get the full picture when everything is only from Xion's perspective and she isn't a reliable narrator in the first place. So it would be a series of one-shots that revolve around the perspectives of other characters like Roxas, Kairi, or even Yuffie to give better context to things that just aren't possible to show through Xion alone. There'd be stuff offscreen that happened during this story, like maybe a one on one conversation between Roxas and Zidane or further depth on how Kairi feels about Xion's situation. As well as scenes that have been shown, but rewritten from the perspective of a different character, like Roxas and Xion's first meeting in Seventh Heaven rewritten from Roxas POV. Stuff like that. It wouldn't be anything super major or necessary for comprehending the main story, just a nice bonus for extra context and clarification. If you guys think you might be interested in something like that, let me know in a review please!

On an unrelated note, a little while ago I was bored and took the 16 personalities quiz and answered the questions how I thought each of the main and supporting characters of this story would answer them and omg all of the personalities I got for each character was extremely accurate. Xion came out as a Virtuoso and these are the strengths and weaknesses for that personality type:

Strengths - Optimistic and energetic, creative and practical, spontaneous and rational, know how to prioritize, great in a crisis, relaxed

Weaknesses - Stubborn, insensitive, private and reserved, easily bored, dislike commitment, risky behavior

Like is that NOT this version of Xion word for word?! I know it's kind of a dorky thing to get excited over but... yeah lol. Kairi came out as a Defender type. Sora came out as an Entrepreneur type. Yuffie, Zidane, and Namine came out as Campaigner types. I was surprised when Roxas came out as a Commander, but after reading the results it made a lot more sense. It was just a fun little thing I wanted to try. If anybody is curious, my personality came out as the Mediator type haha.

With all that being said, please leave me a reivew! I would greatly appreciate it and it would seriously make my day :)

Big thanks to **Killya008, ForsakenXIII, The Late Artisan, the guest, SummonerDagger88, and Existential Complaining** for reading and reviewing the last chapter!

 **#bananasquad**


	18. Departure

**Chapter 18**

"And I want you to call me every two hours just so that I know what you're doing, where you're at, and if you're safe."

"Sora."

"Scratch that, every twenty minutes. Like, set up an alarm or something. A lot can happen in two hours. Pregnancy seems to be coming to mind here. You're at least on birth control, right?"

"Sora."

"Speaking of which, your curfew will be seven o'clock, meaning you will video chat me and I will watch you sleep for the rest of the night to make sure there aren't any perverts sneaking in for an unholy midnight slumber party. Especially that one guy you won't shut up about. And no, it is not creepy, because I'm your brother."

"Sora…"

"Did I mention that I demand gender exclusive hotel rooms? If not, I totally demand gender exclusive hotel rooms."

"SORA!"

At long last, my voice cuts through his rambling and he flinches out into awareness. Sora briefly turns from the road and expresses genuine confusion. "Sorry, did you say something?"

I groan and massage my temples while Kairi, who sits in the backseat using a straw to swirl her strawberry milkshake, merely giggles. We ride down the busy streets of Twilight Town on this beautiful Thursday morning. I've been subjected to his lectures for the past nineteen minutes. I tolerated it for a good seventeen of them, but I think I've had quite enough. Sora kindly opted to drive Kairi and I to the nearest Moogle station before going to work, but that doesn't mean I signed up for a safe sex discourse. I seriously need to start investing in my own car.

"Do you now see why I never told you about my situation?" I ask, preparing my lips for a sip of espresso. "You never listen to me."

"Well, can you blame me for being a little uncomfortable at the moment?" Sora asks impatiently. "You're going on vacation to another world without me and there are three other guys tagging along with you. That's _three_ penises I have to worry about, Xion."

"Will you cut it out?" I ask, jabbing him on the shoulder. "I thought you said you were going to trust me from now on."

Sora purses his lips together. "Define trust."

"Seriously?" I roll my eyes. "As in, have some faith in me for once and not talk down to me. For the fifteenth million time, I will not be doing anything with anybody. Trust me, if you knew what I've been through, you'd know that sex is the very last thing on my mind."

"What you've been through?" He narrows his eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I pause, realizing that I have once again successfully talked myself into a corner. Through the rearview mirror, Kairi sips on her milkshake while looking outside her window with a transparent attempt at being inconspicuous. Seeing that she won't be any help, I just sigh. "It's nothing."

"See, _that's_ not making me any less uncomfortable here." Sora pouts, making a left turn onto the next appropriate street. "In my defense, you haven't really given me a good reason to trust you." I suppose he has a point there. "I just wish you would open up to us more and... I dunno, let me in on what's going on in your life."

I sigh. "I'll be sure to inform you when the next parent-teacher conference comes up. Is that okay, Father?"

"It's a start," he says half-jokingly. "Try to think about it from my perspective. I realize it's just for a couple days but I want to be sure that you're safe." His eyes teeter off to the side. "And, you know, pure," he adds quickly.

"Don't worry, Sora," Kairi says on my behalf. "I'll be with her for the whole trip. We'll even be hotel buddies. You know that the moment I see some creep lay his dirty hands on her, they're getting hit with my signature vertical stomp kick."

Sora seems to relax upon hearing that bit of information. "Thanks, Kai. You don't know how glad I am that you're going. You are seriously the best thing to happen to this family."

Kairi gushes and places a hand on her reddening cheek. "Oh, it's no big deal, really." Pathetic.

"I trust you, unlike some other people," Sora continues while eyeing me wearily. I rear an irked eyebrow back at him and he returns his focus to the road. "Okay, look, I know I can freak out and get a little protective—"

"A little?"

"I was _talking_ ," he barks back. He makes sure I don't pipe up again before continuing. "But I'm going to _try_ to trust you on this and back off. Just a little bit."

I smile in appreciation. "That's all I ask."

He returns an inkling of a smile, but it quickly deforms into a frown. "But I still expect you to video chat me at seven."

"Sora."

"Seven-thirty."

"Sora!"

"Okay, okay."

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

We arrive at the local Moogle station after bustling through a chaotic morning rush hour. It's a two-story building with a sleek and narrow design. Near the front are two sets of benches and an outline of bushes surround the outskirts. There's always at least one of these in every world for obvious transportation reasons. I haven't traveled to another world in years and that was back when our family could actually afford vacations.

After finding a spot in the overstuffed parking lot, we pop the trunk to secure our belongings. This is going to be more than just a scavenger hunt for Aqua, after all. We decided to take advantage of our days off and go on a full-blown vacation. I think I'm overdue for some quality leisure time to get away from everything. I just wish a certain orange-haired creep didn't have to sour what could've been a much more pleasant experience. I'm the first to lug my things out of the car; first, a blue duffle bag and then a much bulkier suitcase with some minor difficulty with the latter. I crouch down to check for my Gummi I.D in one of the zipper pockets.

Meanwhile, I keep an eye on the two hopeless lovebirds. In the most adorably cliché fashion, Sora and Kairi both reach for the handle of her pink suitcase at the exact same time before quickly withdrawing, the latter looking particularly flushed. "Sorry about that," they say in unison, surprising them both for a moment before Sora eases the air with a chuckle. Kairi's cheeks burn red and she tucks some hair behind her ear.

"Don't worry about it," Sora says with a smile. "Need some help?"

"O-Oh, no, it's okay! I can totally handle it!" Kairi waves it off frantically. "I wouldn't want to be a bother or anything, you know? I mean, you went through the trouble of driving us here, and have I mentioned that you are an excellent driver? You're not reckless like my dad. I really, really, really like the way you—"

"Kairi," Sora says, shutting up her nervous rambling in the most gentle way possible. He picks up her bag and drapes it over his shoulder while taking ahold of her other rolling one. "I got it. It's the least I can do."

Kairi twiddles her thumbs. "Yes, but—"

"Don't sweat it, okay?" He smiles. "You're like family."

Kairi has a tiny smile herself and hugs her left arm, keeping herself from coming into eye contact with him. "Okay. Thank you."

I roll my eyes. They've always been like this, acting like middle schoolers who still pass notes when the teacher isn't looking. You'd think that after knowing each other for the past twelve years, one of them would finally tell the other how they feel when it's obvious to everybody except them, in the most spectacular display of denial and obliviousness in the universe, that they share feelings. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised with all of my failed attempts at playing matchmaker between them.

I've told Kairi a thousand times that she should just tell him how she feels. Sora is an idiot when it comes to picking up signals. But I won't give up. The day I can call Kairi my sister-in-law will be a glorious one. After retrieving my Gummi I.D, I rise to my feet, sling my bag over my shoulder, and stroll towards the entrance of the station.

"H-Hey, Xion!" Kairi calls, making me stop. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna get a head start. Sora can keep you company." I crane my neck halfway with a trollish grin. "Riiiiight?"

Kairi looks at me with the most conflicting expressions of thankfulness, annoyance, happiness, and frustration I've ever seen. "Well, I gue—"

"Perfect! Take your time." I bid her a temporary farewell.

I move a bit quicker to give them some space. Albeit, I struggle slightly trying to lug my rolling suitcase with me. I must've overpacked a little. But I suck it up and keep it moving. It isn't too long before the entrance of the station comes into view. Neku, without a care in the world, lies on one of the benches with his leg kicked up over the other. His eyes are closed while listening to whatever is jamming under those purple headphones. Oh, geez. I was hoping Roxas or Zidane would've gotten here before us just so that I wouldn't have to deal with this guy by myself.

I set my stuff down and bend over to casually tap him on the forehead. Immediately, Neku bolts out of his dream. "Whoa!" After his slightly panicked eyes make contact with my disinterested ones, he settles down. "Oh. Hey."

"You do know it's rude to take up both spots on a public bench, right?"

He rubs the back of his neck and makes room for me to take a seat. "Must've dozed off. You got your I.D, right?" I wordlessly showcase my I.D and he nods while showing me his own. "So, how you holding up?"

"Fine, I guess."

"What did you need to go to Daybreak for again?" he asks, closing his eyes and leaning back, allowing his face to bathe in the sunlight. "Kairi kept it vague and said you wanted to talk to Aqua. But I'm not sure what you're hoping to accomplish."

I graze my shoes against the concrete while kicking my feet out. "To be honest with you, that's still kind of up in the air. I'm in a tight situation right now and I want to believe that she can help alleviate it somehow." I look up at the sky. "Or maybe I just want an excuse to get away from this town."

"Sounds like trouble." He opens a single eye. "What kind of trouble?"

"That's confidential, sir." I lightly grip the bench. "But don't worry about it. It's nothing I can't handle."

Neku gives a dry chuckle. "You never change, huh?"

I look over at his resting face. "I'm not quite sure how I should take that."

"Don't worry. It's good. Means you're still tough." He smirks. "It's one of the things that made me like you in the first place." I don't feel the need to respond to that. Obviously, he must not have fallen _that_ hard, considering his subsequent actions. "Reminds me of old times," he continues. "We'd always grab some food and drinks, head over to the train station, and watch the sunset after school all throughout sophomore year. Feels like yesterday. You'd always get the paopu smoothie with a side of fries. Took me forever to get you to try the sea-salt ice cream. Remember when you got the winner stick on your first one?"

"Stop it."

Neku opens his eyes and gives an attempted look of innocuousness. "I was just—"

"No, you weren't." I shoot him a sharp glare. "You're trying to be manipulative. Don't waste your breath. I told you, this is nothing a business arrangement between you and me. If you're hoping that this plays out like some fairytale where I go running back into your arms and we hold hands while watching the sunset, please reconsider your fantasy. And more importantly, keep it to yourself."

"You're wrong," Neku says, stone-faced. "I was hoping for all that with an added slow-motion effect while we sang a heartfelt duet together."

I narrow my eyes.

He swallows a lump in his throat. "Just kidding. Sorry."

After that—nothing.

Not that I have any real desire to speak to him in the first place. For a moment, Neku looks like he's trying to rack his brain for something to say. But the conversation (what little of it there was) is swallowed by silence and only a gentle breeze whistles in the background. Admittedly, the silence eventually becomes uncomfortable and I mindlessly tap my foot. There's still something in the back of my mind finding it hard to believe this is actually happening; that I'm here, right now, with him. What in the world is taking Sora and Kairi so long? I decide to pull out my phone and kill time on Mognet while sending a discreet text message to Roxas asking him where he is. Thankfully, he's fairly consistent with returning texts in a reasonable amount of time.

 _ **Save me pls - Xion**_

 **You dying? O_o - Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

 _ **Kinda. Alone with Neku. Feeling awkward and weird x_x - Xion**_

 **Dang. RIP - Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

 _ **Exactly! So please hurry. Where are you? - Xion**_

 **At the station looking at you rn - Roxas (10/10 would bang)**

Uh, what? I lift my head from my phone, expecting a blue Camry to pull up and—

Okay, I repeat.

What?

So, while my brain somehow tries to process what my eyes are attempting to visually transmit, my jaw drops at the sight of a very expensive-looking white tinted limo pulling up in front of us with Zidane sticking his head out of the top, leaning his elbows against the surface of the roof. He spots me in the short distance and casually waves, as if him pulling up in a lavish limo is any other Thursday. "What's up, Mama?" he says.

Neku seems surprised as well, although he tries to play it cool. I put my phone away and approach the car, but Neku stays put. Roxas steps out of the backseat with his bag strapped around his shoulder wearing a somewhat embarrassed grin. "Surprised?" he says.

"That's a fair understatement," I admit. "What is this? Don't tell me you've been secretly rich this whole time. Or is this a rental?"

"Nah, we stole it," Roxas answers.

I scoff. "Please."

Zidane jumps out from the top and lands next me with his own backpack around his shoulders. "Cool, huh?" he chuckles. "It's got a sound system, a flat screen TV, cupholders, and just—everything!" He places a loving hand on the fancy vehicle. "I've never been so turned on before."

"But whose ride is it?" I ask.

Before either can respond, a familiar-looking blonde steps out the passenger side dressed in loose fit white button-down overlapped with a black, pinstripe halter vest. She has on matching black boots, shorts, and a small straw hat to top off the ensemble. Wait, why does she have a duffle bag?

Oh no.

No.

No.

No.

No.

NO.

"'Allo!" Naminé waves at me with boundless enthusiasm before thanking the hired driver before it drives of. She skips over to us looking as carefree as ever. "Beautiful day, ain't it?"

I think it's safe to say that this was the absolute last person I was expecting, or wanting, to see. You know, aside from Terra. "Why are _you_ here?"

"She gave us a lift." Roxas places his hands on my shoulders in an attempt to cool me down. "In style."

"Wait, that was _your_ limo?" I ask, pointing at our uninvited guest.

"Yeah. She wanted to come," Zidane informs.

"I don't recall inviting you, though," I say with the fakest of fake smiles.

"Oh, but I insist, if you don't mind," Naminé returns, her smile looking equally fabricated. "Wouldn't it be fun? I've been wanting an excuse to get out of town lately. This just seemed like a rather convenient excuse."

I silently grit my teeth but maintain a forged appearance of concern. "Oh, it's too bad we only have enough for five tickets. I'm sorry you went through the trouble."

"It's no problem!" She shakes her head. "Roxy told me about the trip a few days ago, so I was able to prepare my own flight in advance."

"Did he, now?" I ask, casting him the evil eye. Roxas has enough sense to release my shoulders and slowly back away.

"I didn't want to just leave her out of the loop, you know?" Roxas justifies, raising his hands in defense. "So, I thought I'd at least let her know, and then she wanted to come along. Besides, I thought it'd be fun."

"And you didn't tell me, because...?"

"I told 'im to keep it a secret," Naminé interjects. "I wanted to surprise ya! Aren't you surprised?"

My eye twitches. "Well, that's... _one_ word you could use to describe my emotions."

"I say the more the merrier," Zidane responds. "This way, nobody gets left out. We'll have a great time."

"We sure will," Naminé says, linking her arm with mines. "Right, Xion? You didn't think you'd be goin' to a whole 'nother world without me, did'ja? You know I have to keep my eye on you," she adds innocently, despite the sharp undertone of passive aggression.

I knew it. That's what this is all about. I suppose if she's already booked her flight, there's nothing I can do, and Naminé doesn't seem like the type to be convinced otherwise. But if she wants to dance, we can dance. Bring it on, bitch! "Yes, it'll be great having you tag along, Naminé!" I say with fake enthusiasm. "I'm so happy you decided to come."

"Same to you, Love!"

We smile at each other and I can feel a faint twitch in the curve of my lips and left eyebrow, though I detect she's doing the same thing. Despite our smiles, our stare is intense and radiates with cosmic energy. Zidane places his hands in the pockets of his jacket and scratches his head with his tail. "Am I missing some context here?"

Roxas chuckles nervously. "Just keep your distance."

"Hey. Looks like the party's all here," Sora says, catching our attention. He still holds on to Kairi's bags with said girl right next to him.

"Kairi!" Naminé cheers.

Kairi gasps. "Nams! What are you doing here?" The two exchange a hug and a friendly greeting while Sora approaches Roxas, carefully examining him up and down. Roxas' eyes become jumpy.

"Uh... hey, dude!" Roxas says, trying to lighten the mood.

Sora blinks, setting the bags down. "Hey."

"You're Sora, aren't you? The guy who made the quarterfinals of the struggle tournament this summer? I've heard a lot about you from Xion. I can't believe you're her brother. I can tell she respects you a lot. Guess that's more than what I can say for my older brother," Roxas says with a chuckle. "Must mean you're doing something right, haha."

Sora doesn't budge, making Roxas all the more nervous. "You're Rucksack, right?"

Roxas flutters his eyes. "Well, um, no. It's Roxas, actually. Roxas Newm—"

"Don't need your autobiography." Sora entraps Roxas into the crook of his arm while the imprisoned boy looks around trying to figure out what in the world is happening. "Let's make some things clear. You, my friend, are hereby strictly forbidden from looking at Xion, touching Xion, complimenting Xion, thinking about Xion, trying to seduce Xion with your little prissy, pretty boy smile, god forbid you dare even think about what Xion is wearing at night—"

"Okay, that's enough!" I pull him away from Roxas and give Sora a pointed stare. I simply cannot catch a break. If it's not Mom embarrassing me with the prospect of making babies with Roxas, it's Sora humiliating me with threats of association at all. "We're just friends, okay?"

Roxas fixes his clothes. "Y-Yeah, I'm not like that. Scout's honor."

"I'm not like that, he says," Sora mocks. "That's what they all say. I got my eye on you, Rucksack."

Roxas pouts, pointing upwards with a corrective finger. "It's Roxas..."

"Relax, Sora," I say tiredly. "Roxas is a good guy."

Sora looks Roxas up and down with his snout raised in distaste despite Roxas' attempt at an easygoing smile. "Mm." He cringes upon recognizing Neku sitting by himself on the bench and groans. "Does he really have to go?"

I smile apologetically and rest a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Sorry. But I already told you, he's kind of the most essential asset to this trip."

Sora grimaces. "A pretty boy punk _and_ an ex-boyfriend. You see what you put me through?"

I wrap my arms around him and bury my face into his chest. "I wuv you, Sora."

He sighs, giving into my sisterly charms and returns the hug. "Fine. Just be safe, alright? That's an order."

"I'll be okay, Porcupine. Promise." I pull back to get a glimpse of his relaxed smile with a cheeky smirk of my own. "My little sister can't be this cute—"

"Quiet," he cuts in with monotony.

I decide to properly introduce him to Roxas, Naminé, and Zidane without all of the shenanigans. After a few minutes, Naminé puts a somewhat abrupt end to the friendly exchange after checking her phone. "Oh, shoot! I didn't realize the time. We'd best get movin' along, friends."

"Yeah, I guess so," I admit with a sigh. "Look after Honey for me," I remind Sora. He nods affirmingly.

Sora gives Roxas one last warning gesture, to which Roxas waves off nervously. After giving Kairi a hug, making her practically melt to his touch, Sora leaves on a friendly note with everybody (Neku excluded) and walks back to his car with his hands clasped behind his spiky brunet hair.

I lean over to Roxas and whisper shamefully. "I'm so sorry about that. I promise my family isn't really this crazy. He's just a little—well, you know."

Roxas chuckles and winks. "No worries. I think it just shows how much he cares."

I smile with appreciation for his ability to understand. "I guess we better get going," I say, raising my voice slightly to catch everybody's attention. "I just want to thank you guys for taking the time out of your busy schedules just to support little 'ol me. I know this is supposed to be for fun too, but I could really use the company. Seriously. It means a lot."

Naminé smiles. "You're welcome—"

"Not you," I quickly interject, making her frown.

"Aww, loosen up, will ya?" Zidane says with a chuckle and giving me a thumbs up. "We got your back. Clichés and all."

"Of course," Kairi says. "If anything, it'll be a great bonding experience!"

Whatever anxiety I had during the days leading up to this trip wanes into irrelevancy as I take in their supportive smiles. This is exactly why I wanted them to come along. A part of me feels like this trip will be pointless and I'll gain nothing from it. Deep down, I know it's a shameless excuse to get some much needed time away from all of the stresses of college applications, graduation, and everything else that's plaguing my current situation. But if all else fails, I'll be able to say I had these guys with me to keep my spirits in relative health.

That's right. I'm not alone anymore.

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

The terminal of the Moogle Station is huge. The high ceiling makes the gigantic area feel vast and spacious. The entire front wall is composed of a large two-story window, allowing the sun to highlight the glossy marble flooring, and makes for a fantastic view of Twilight Town. Each sector is divided into a seating area where patrons wait for their flight to be called on the intercom. Dozens of people fill the premises, whether they're walking towards their next destination or sitting in the waiting area. A plethora of Moogles roam about the area, offering their services and handling the check-in areas.

Moogles are notorious for their service. They usually never tour the cities in which they travel, probably because they're such workaholics. Most of them share the same highly energetic and optimistic personality, but every once in awhile you might meet one that stands out. They're so cute, though. They're small white creatures about the size of your average plush doll. You can tell their gender apart by looking at the spherical pom-poms that hang from the top of their head by a thin antenna; if red, it's male, and if pink, it's female.

"Right this way, kupo!" says a Moogle in a white shirt and pressed black slacks. For safety reasons, our bags need to be checked and we toss them onto the conveyor belt. While passing through the line, our wrists are required to be strapped with highly technologically advanced handcuffs before we can enter the main area. It only lasts for about ten seconds at a time, though.

"Wait, what?" Zidane wonders aloud. He taps me on the shoulder from behind. "Uh, why're they handcuffin' us?"

Before I can answer, Neku interrupts from behind Zidane. "What do you mean, why? It's some kind of device that temporarily restricts you from summoning a Keyblade," he explains. "It only lasts for twenty-four hours, but it supposedly does something to your heart that regulates your power. It'd be pretty bad if a terrorist decided to make an appearance, or if some asshole with a bad mood decided to destroy the whole station."

"You mean... like you, dude?" Zidane asks playfully. Neku just blinks. "But, the rest of us can't use a Keyblade, can we?"

"Of course not," I answer, filling in for the now silent Neku. "But _they_ don't know that, do they? They can't really just go off what we say, so it's required of everybody just in case. I'm surprised you don't know this, Zidane. You said your homeworld was Lindblum. Wouldn't that mean you've traveled before?"

Zidane rubs the back of his head. "Well, no. I mean, uh—yeah, kind of." If I had blinked, I wouldn't have noticed his smile falter for a split second. But he does a decent job hiding it. "It's kind of a long story. Anyway, I'm excited to see what this trip will bring. Guess you could say I needed the va-cay myself."

"Are you okay?" I ask, genuinely concerned.

"'Course I am!" he quickly says with a toothy smile, giving me an upbeat thumbs up. "Why do you ask?"

I stare for a moment. "Just wondering. Let us know if anything is bothering you, okay?"

He maintains that cheery exterior and chuckles. "No worries, Mama! You know I'm just here for the babes and the bikinis."

Not sure how much I buy that, but I decide to leave it be for now. After getting our handcuffs removed, our bags scanned, and our I.D's verified, I lead the group towards the ticket booth. "Wait," Naminé shouts, making everybody freeze in place. "I said I prepared a flight in advance, didn't I?"

The rest of us share questioning looks. "What's your point?" Roxas asks.

"I didn't mean just for myself." Naminé crosses her arms, almost smugly. "Would you rather take public transportation or join me for a first-class trip to Daybreak Town in a personalized Gummi ship?"

Hearing all of those beautiful words in the same sentence make us exchange mutual looks of brewing excitement. "First-class? Personalized?" Kairi asks with a gleam in her eyes.

"Dude, where do I sign up?" Zidane asks, fisting pumping.

"This way, kiddies!" Naminé points in the opposite direction. Zidane and Kairi follow behind with a bounce in their steps.

Since when could Naminé afford a private Gummi ship? I shouldn't be surprised. She felt the need to brandish her own freaking limo on a lousy ride to the station, after all. Just what kind of family does she come from? Is she really rich? Could've fooled me. I've never seen Naminé act or talk like someone of high prestige before. Regardless, I tug my suitcase behind but try to play it off. Roxas chuckles at my struggling and offers a hand. "Want some help?"

Before I can reply, Neku jumps in and reaches for the handle. "Don't worry, I can get it."

"It's not a problem, man. I can totally handle it," says Roxas, who reaches for it as well.

"It's cool. I got it," Neku insists.

"Guys," I interrupt, putting an end to their back and forth. "Thanks, but I got it, okay? Come on, let's go."

The two wordlessly comply and we catch up to the other three. We're led into a reserved area in the far back of the terminal where a Moogle waits on a podium. He asks that Naminé certify her reservation. Afterwards, we're taken to a private waiting area located on the second floor staffed with a Moogle dressed in a black and white tuxedo. Down a short hallway and beyond a velvet curtain is an entire dining area is where men and women alike are dressed in clothing that's either lavish or, at the very least, high in quality, while they wait for their ships to be prepared. Suddenly, I feel underdressed for the occasion.

We observe the large window taking up the majority of the wall, the clean beige carpet, the roundtables layered in a nearly floor-length cloth, and the mini-stage where a Moogle somehow has the tremendous skill to play the piano despite her having no fingers. I don't fail to notice that Naminé seems well known by the general congregation, most of them asking how her parents are doing.

The rest of our group glows with delight, pointing out every little detail present in the admittedly impressive design and classy atmosphere of this glorified dining hall. I, on the other hand, remain heavily guarded. What else about Naminé don't I know about?

Kairi rushes towards me and nearly jerks my arm off with her eagerness. "Isn't this amazing?"

"Yeah," I admit. "I didn't even know a place like this existed here."

"Well, of course you wouldn't, Xion," Naminé rings ahead with a chortle. "I'm sure for someone like yourself, this must be very exciting."

Oh, fuck you.

But I decide to keep my nasty thoughts to myself and bitterly follow our obnoxious escort in silence. Neku doesn't seem very impressed. He stares ahead with a hollow exterior and his hands stuffed into the pockets of his camo pants. Typical. I know him well enough to know that he's probably more thrilled about this than he wants to let on, but not at the expense of his image. Eventually, we're led to a reserved table with a card that reads "Naminé Cole" and take our seats. Naminé sits across from me with Kairi and Zidane at her sides. I'm situated with Roxas and Neku to my left and right. Wow, this is a very soft cushion for a chair. It's like a butt pillow.

"Kupo!" says the Moogle. "We'd like to recommend the creamy crustacean omelet prepared by our top chef, Ignis Scientia. He's probably coming up with a _new_ recipe as we speak, kupo!"

"Ooh, ooh!" Zidane raises his hand. "I'll take that!" His eyes are full of desire as he scans the menu. "And can I get the mystery meat sushi with a side of quillhorn sou—"

His order comes to a sudden halt when Naminé muffles him with her hand and gives the Moogle a thankful, but apologetic smile. "Actually, I called ahead of time this morning and our ship should be ready in about fifteen minutes. So we'll be leavin' soon. Some water would be nice, though."

"No problemo!" the Moogle exclaims. "I'll have someone get that for ya. And we'll notify you once your ship is ready for takeoff, kupo!"

"Cheers," Naminé says while releasing a visibly disappointed Zidane.

Kairi squeals with excitement. "Oh my god, I can't believe this is happening. This chair is so soft! I feel like my butt just landed on a marshmallow."

"I know, right?!" I exclaim incredulously.

"Yeah, you really outdid yourself this time, Naminé," Roxas says, still unable to tear his eyes away from our surroundings. The rest of us are in a similar boat.

"Aww, it's no biggie," Naminé claims, resting her chin against her palms. "I just hope everybody is comfortable."

"You kidding?" Zidane leans back in his seat. "I could get used to this. I need to tag along with you more often, Nam."

"Just please don't dry out my card," she says playfully. The waitress, dressed in a white chef uniform, employs her wings to elevate above our table and lands with a tray with six glasses of water. We briefly thank her and return to the conversation. "These things cost big bikkies, you know?"

"Speaking of which," I say, looking at the blue-eyed girl suspiciously, "how exactly _are_ you capable of affording all of this, Naminé?"

Roxas is the first to speak up. "Well, she—"

"It's a secret," Naminé interrupts with enthusiasm. "It's nothing special, anyway."

Roxas scratches his head. "It's not?" A second later, he yelps in pain and massages his knee. "Ow!"

Naminé maintains her phony smile. "Let's just say I'd like to keep it between Roxy and I, if that's all right?" she explains with the slightest tinge of cattiness. My god. I am beyond tempted to announce the kiss Roxas and I shared the day after we met while she was away on her stupid cruise to the whole table, but decide against it. Let's not make things supremely awkward for everybody else, okay?

"A-Anyways," Roxas says. "So uh, how long should it take us to get to Daybreak Town?"

"About six hours," Neku answers, his eyes closed. "If anybody here isn't willing to be patient for that long, or if they plan on being an inconvenience, they should just leave right now."

"Well, you certainly seem like a bucket of joy, aye?" Naminé says with a dry chuckle.

"Always has been," I say, grinning at the new victim of our attention. Neku scoffs.

Roxas leans his elbow on the table and raises an eyebrow. "So, you're her ex, right?"

Um, okay? Why bring this up now of all times? "Yeah. What of it?" Neku asks, opening a skeptical eye.

Roxas smiles, although he looks slightly more perturbed than usual. "I'm just trying to see the compatibility here."

"Wait, wait, hold the phone," Zidane says, entering the conversation. He takes a large sip out of his glass and performs an obnoxious spit-take in the opposite direction. "You two _dated?_ Seriously? How did _that_ happen?"

Roxas gives his best friend a dreary look. "Dude."

"I think the better question is why you felt that was somehow necessary in the first place," I reply with a roll of my eyes.

"I can kind of see it, though," Naminé says, getting back on topic. "It's not like you two are the chirpiest chippers around. I'm sure you two were perfect for each other." She giggles.

I give a sarcastic giggle in return. "That's funny, I was kind of thinking the exact opposite for you and Roxas. I wouldn't have expected you two to be each other's type."

"Oh, don't be silly," she responds with a blasé motion of her hand. "Roxas and I were great together. In fact, that's why we stayed close despite the breakup. He was more than my boyfriend; he was and still is my best friend. However, and correct me if I'm wrong of course, but I think that might be more than what can be said for you and Sakuraba here, is it not?"

Neku deters his eyes from the jab while I repress my evil instincts beckoning me to leap over the table and smack that stupid smile off her face. She tries to act all bubbly and innocent, but she is a literal demon.

Roxas clears his throat and tugs at his collar. "Okay, I realize that I'm wearing a fur-lined sweater jacket right now, but still, kinda hot in here, huh?"

"I guess you have a point, Naminé." I make a gesture towards the offensively large watermelons she calls her breasts. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask how much you had to pay for those?"

Naminé looks offended by the implication. "What?"

"I hate you."

"G-Guys!" Kairi says, chuckling nervously. "Come on, we're all supposed to be friends here. This is supposed to be fun. I mean, how are we going to coexist for the next couple of days if we can't even get along before the first flight?"

Poor Kairi. She looks really uncomfortable. I blame Naminé. I know, sounds biased as hell, but if she never stuck her nose where it didn't belong, we wouldn't be having to deal with two pairs of exes right now, thus making everything more tense and confusing. But I suppose Naminé did hook us up with a first-class flight. If nothing else, I can be grateful for that.

"I suppose so," I admit drearily. "I apologize... I guess."

Naminé smiles triumphantly. "Good enough for me. I suppose I should apologize for bargin' in unexpectedly. I do hope we'll get along, yeah?"

No.

"Aww, that's what I like to see," Kairi says with an approving smile. "See? We can be nice! All it takes is a little maturity, and I know for certain that everybody here is capable of that." She pauses. "Well, Zidane is questionable, but..."

Zidane shrugs. "As much as I wanna be offended, I honestly can't be."

"Whatever the case, I do think we'll have a good time. That's the goal, ain't it? To make the most of our youth and live in the pursuit of adventure," Naminé says, circling the rim of her half-drank glass of water. "Who knows? Maybe we can visit my homeworld."

Zidane rubs his chin. "Speaking of that, I have a question. Are we trying to say that Australia is its own an entire world here or what?"

We stop and all look at each other for a moment, unable to answer the surprisingly good question. Roxas is the first to break the contemplative silence.

"Just—don't ask questions."

"Excalibur #14 is preparing for takeoff, kupo!" says a high-pitched voice on the intercom. "Excalibur #14 is preparing for takeoff!"

"That's us," Naminé informs the table.

A Moogle approaches our table and gestures us to follow him. "This way, please!"

"Let's get this show on the road," Roxas says with a grin. Everybody rises from their seats and gathers their items.

In the middle of putting my Gummi I.D back into my travel bag, I feel a familiar haughty breath whisper into my ear. "They're real, by the way." I gnaw my teeth as Naminé jovially skips towards the nearby elevator with Kairi and Zidane not too far behind.

Roxas extends a hand to Neku with a mediating smile. "Hey, man. Guess the air just kinda got to me earlier. No hard feelings?"

Neku stares blankly at the outstretched hand for a moment. Without a word, he puts his headphones over his ears, slings his backpack over his shoulder, grabs my rolling suitcase, and follows the rest of the group. I feel kinda bad for Roxas. He keeps getting the cold shoulder because of me. But in typical Roxas fashion, he just shakes it off with a chuckle and slips over to my side. "This guy should totally be a mascot for Disneyworld."

Neku in a Donald Duck costume? Priceless. I giggle at the thought of him ever putting his pride aside for something like that and hurl my separate duffle bag over my shoulder. "That would be perfect."

Roxas sobers and looks oddly introspective before speaking up again. "So, real talk, what _did_ you see in this dude, anyway?"

I grin playfully, tapping him on the cheek. "Why do you ask?"

He gently coughs into his fist. "No reason. Just curious." Suuure, he is. I give a knowing look to communicate my disbelief. His face becomes a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. "What is it?"

"You're so cute," I say, making a callback to our conversation earlier this week when visiting Mom.

Roxas puffs out his cheeks. "I am _not_ cute," he says, recounting the memory as well. But we both laugh about it in the end.

"To answer your question," I say, reeling back to the topic. I spot Neku up ahead, walking all by himself as he keeps a safe distance away from Naminé, Kairi, and Zidane, who all cheerfully talk amongst themselves ahead. "I guess we had a lot in common."

After a crammed trip up the glass door elevator, we're led down a long hallway that eventually leads to the main deck. It's a fairly large room with half-circular rows of monitors on each side and Moogles tapping away at their keyboards, conversing through headsets. Down the aisle of stairs is a big open space where a polished Gummi ship rests with a couple of engineers tinkering with it. It's red, lean in its design with a very front sharp end and an immense pair of exhaust engines in the back, with a gigantic compartment below that seems to only to able to be opened by a handle.

Other than Naminé, who looks rather proud, we all gaze upon the unfamiliar and fantastical scenery in childlike wonder.

"This is insane," Roxas says, his jaw ajar.

"No kidding," I concur.

As we approach the Gummi ship, the back compartment is released and a couple of Moogles come pouring out dressed in overalls and engineer caps; the presumed leader of the coupe approaches Naminé. "We just finished installing the last Navi-G piece! We're not sure how stable the engine is, though, so if you get in some kinda trouble, make sure you contact your nearest Moogle Station to assist you, kupo!"

"Will do," Naminé affirms.

"Oh, and let us get these for you, kupo!" The Moogles rush towards us and take a hold of our luggage to strap into the back area to ensure they don't get tossed around mid-flight.

"Oh, thank you," I giggle as a Moogle politely requests for my bag and proceeds to fit it into storage. Another does the same for Roxas and I give him a cheeky grin. "Wow."

Roxas seems equally excited. "Okay, I think I'm gonna have a hard time ever going back to public flights."

Naminé leads the rest of us to a short ladder that leads up to the cockpit. The flight attendant opens the door, dressed in a tight-fitting navy blue blazer, a pressed collar, a blue stewardess hat with a flower resting in the crease, and a blue pencil skirt. She happily welcomes us inside. "Right this way, kupo!"

After Naminé, Kairi, and Neku climb up, Zidane steps aside and presents the ladder before me with a bow. "After you, Xion."

I raise an eyebrow. Zidane being a gentleman? That's kinda new. "Uh, thanks Zidane."

"Not a problem." He grins. I grab ahold of the handles and start to climb my way up, only to feel a hand cop a feel of my derriere a second later. "Ooh, soft..."

I should've known. Needless to say, Roxas erupts with laughter the moment Zidane gets a bitter taste of the asphalt below—courtesy of my foot.

 _ **S.E.X.S.E.L.L.S**_

This is the first time I've ever been in a private Gummi ship. Normal ships look like a regular train except it can ride through space. This is smaller, of course, but it has way more perks. It has three rows of seats, two on both sides with rather large windows to occupy each. The seats have their own armrests with holes made for cupholders and popcorn buckets. Did I mention that there's a portable popcorn machine in the back for whenever we want to watch a movie on the big holographic monitor? Not to mention, hidden behind a black curtain, there are six more rows of seats and an entire game room to behold along with two separate bathrooms for the girls and the guys. Good gravy. I wouldn't mind vacationing _here_ alone.

After we all got past the initial excitement at the interior of the ship, I decided to take my seat near the middle row and look out the window to watch the Moogles do what they do best in preparation for our flight. That didn't stop Zidane, who holds an icepack to his forehead, from taking the spot next to me and apologize incessantly for the next five minutes until I acknowledge him.

"Aww, come on. I was only joking," Zidane reasons. "I promise I won't do it again." I hike up an eyebrow and Zidane mopes. "And I'll buy you whatever you want when we get to Daybreak." I keep my eyebrow raised. "And I'll treat everybody to dinner." I don't move an inch. He scratches his hair. "Geez, what more do you want, woman?"

After a point, I decide to just forgive Zidane and move on, not to mention apologize on my own behalf for being so reactionary. A few months ago, a quick (and free) feel of my butt without consent would have certainly annoyed me, but probably not rile me up. Those grueling months of squats, lunges, and glute busters weren't for nothing, after all. But maybe not so much after everything that's transpired since. Still, it's Zidane. I don't really see him as much of a threat. Although, I wonder what would've happened to him if Sora had saw that.

Either way, Zidane eventually goes to the back to check out the games with Kairi and Naminé while Roxas fixes himself a small bucket of popcorn, leaving me to my own company. Of course, not for long, since I look up to find Neku grinning down at me. "Yeah, I'm not into pinball either," he says.

I stare at him and cross my arms.

"Want some company?" he asks.

"Not particularly."

Neku, realizing his attempt at a smooth delivery backfired, stands there like an idiot and merely blinks. I ignore him and watch the Moogles work outside the window. But when I turn back, I realize that he apparently took my not-so-subtle hint to leave me alone as an invitation to sit next to me.

"Did you not just hear me?" I ask, getting annoyed. "I said I don't—"

"Relax." He stuffs his hands in his hoodie pockets with a slight slouch. "I don't care if you're angry with me. I'm not gonna just sit here and pretend like you don't exist. We're not children anymore, Xion. I'll put up with whatever scorn you wanna dish if it eventually gives me the opportunity to explain myself."

"Ugh." I return my focus back to the outside. "Do what you want."

Neku sits up and tries to make eye contact, but I keep myself guarded. "So, I guess you still don't wanna talk, huh?" I choose not to respond. Neku chuckles humorlessly. "All right."

After another five minutes of silence between Neku and I, though a bit less awkward than before (probably due to all of the noise coming from the back and outside the ship), we finally get ready to leave Twilight Town. Our flight attendant gives us a minor speech about safety precautions and the general rules of flight.

"Please remain strapped in until takeoff comes to a complete closure to ensure no injuries, and afterwards you will be free to roam about the ship at your leisure, kupo."

Our ship is then elevated on a circular platform; at the top, a hatch opens that leads into an area lit in orange and grey with two monitors being displayed on the walls. After everybody is ready, the pilot contacts the engineer room and a Moogle appears on each monitor with an identical salute. A long tunnel expands and the engine roars from behind.

"Hang on tight, kupo!" yells the pilot. We blast through the tunnel at unforeseen speed, forcing a scream out of me. It's way faster than I anticipated. I fasten my eyes tight to shield my bangs from poking them. Things settle down after a while, but I remain cautious.

"Takeoff sequence has concluded," says the flight attendant. "Gravity suppliers have discharged and oxygen tank is now venting. Please enjoy the rest of your flight, kupo!"

I slowly open one eye after the other and take a peek outside my window. For a moment, I legitimately forget how to breathe upon getting a look at the spectacular spectacle that is space. It's been so long. I forgot about how breathtaking this was. But it's also slightly unnerving, since heights aren't exactly my thing, and watching Twilight Town fade into the distance is a little disorientating.

"Woohoo!" Naminé cheers, unbuckling her seatbelt. "That was a wild ride! Now, onto more important matters," she says, rubbing her hands together mischievously. "Which one of you brave souls think they have a chance against me in a match of Gun About?"

Zidane is the first to rise to the challenge. "Oh, you're so dead."

The blonde duo disappears into the back. Kairi announces that she's going to take a look around and enters the back soon after. Roxas leans on the seat ahead of me and Neku casually. "You guys wanna come?"

"No thanks," we unintentionally synchronize.

Roxas rubs the back of his neck. "Man, maybe you guys _were_ compatible," he mumbles. "Don't tell me you guys are gonna just loaf here for the next six hours."

"Loafing is fun," Neku deadpans.

"I'm just tired, Roxas," I insist. "Give me about twenty minutes. I'll meet you back there."

Roxas seems a little discouraged, probably because he knows how stubborn I can be and my excuse for twenty minutes could easily translate from four hours to never, but he respects my decision regardless before taking his leave. "Well, okay. You two enjoy your loaf."

Once Roxas is out of earshot, Neku turns to me. "You don't seriously like that guy, do you?" He shakes his head. "He just seems so—plain."

Wow. Déjà vu, anybody? "Whether I do or don't, it's not really any of your concern."

Neku laughs. I stare confusedly, waiting for some elaboration. "After all this time, you're still like my long lost female clone. Guess we really did fit like a glove."

I sigh. "Whatever."

"I probably would've said the same thing," he says. "You're just proving my point even more here, you see."

"Shut it."

Although, I can't deny it. They say opposites attract, and perhaps that's true for me in the case of Roxas, but I always preferred to have someone I have things in common with. Neku was perfect in that regard. In fact, it was our similarities that brought us together. I remember the first day we met like it was yesterday. It was the beginning of sophomore year during that pep rally Kairi pressured me into going to no matter how much I protested. After a point, I had enough and just busted out of the gymnasium to get away from all of the obnoxious yelling, cheering, and incoherent bodily movements. That's when I saw him sitting out by the lockers on his phone with his earphones blocking out the rest of the world.

" _What are you doing out here?" I asked, pulling one of his earplugs from his right ear._

 _Initially, he seemed irritated before getting a proper look at the perpetrator who ruined his beloved tunes and settled down. "Nothing. You?"_

" _Same." I shrug. "Nothing sounds like fun."_

 _He took one earplug out and allowed it to dangle from his neck. "Doing nothing is better than being in the middle of a bunch of self-glorifying idiots hyping themselves up for a team that won't even make the state playoffs. Again."_

" _You're so edgy, bro," I tease with a snort. He rolled his eyes. "But I have to agree. I've been saying this for like four years and its fell on deaf ears."_

" _That so?" he asked, looking intrigued. "Most of the girls I know love that sort of thing."_

 _I scoffed, my thoughts going back to Kairi screaming like a madwoman with Selphie only ten minutes prior. "Same," I repeated from earlier. "I was dragged here by one of them. I love her to death, but she can be... a nuisance."_

 _He smirked. "Well, I was dragged here by my favorite nuisance, too._ ' _Cept my nuisance has, you know, testosterone. The curse of existing with other people, am I right?"_

" _It's gross." I cringe. "People drain me after a point."_

" _Are you my female clone or something?"_

" _Well, it would be creepier if I had spiky orange hair." I take a strand of my short-cut raven locks. "But nope, just this."_

" _I think it's cute."_

 _It was a surprise to hear that. All Sora ever did was make fun of me for my hair and the fact that it refused to grow past my shoulders. For a long time, I was slightly insecure about my femininity and having hair that was adamant on being leprechaun-sized since I was a baby. "You just got twenty brownie points for being an awesome liar."_

 _He laughed. "But I'm serious." With a sly grin, he then asked, "So, what are you about to do?"_

" _Nothing, much like yourself," I answered. "Wanna do nothing together?"_

" _Nothing would make me happier," he said casually._

 _I lay laid down on his outstretched knees and took it upon myself to remove one of his earbuds and place it into my ear, which I could tell surprised him for a moment. "If we keep this up, the word 'nothing' is going to start sounding weird." He didn't respond for a moment, looking like he got lost in his own world. I stare up at him and wave my hands in front of his eyes. "Hello?"_

" _Hold on, I'm thinking," he said, putting up a finger._ " _But it's impossible for us to be doing nothing, because we're doing nothing together, therefore we're doing something, and that something is nothing. Nothception."_

 _I laughed. "Did you really just sit there and think that up?"_

 _He shrugged. "Hey, had to keep the nothing train rolling if we're gonna make it sound weird. Nothing to it."_

" _Well, it was nothing special."_

" _Tch." He leaned his head back against the locker. "Gotta say, it was pretty bold of you to just lay down on my lap like that. You realize we just met like two seconds ago, right?"_

" _Who cares?" I said, closing my eyes and tapping my foot to the music. "Not like we're getting married. I prefer things to be a bit more direct. People get too hung up on making a good first impression. I rather skip the awkward and uncomfortable introductions and just relax with someone, you know?"_

" _Huh. I like that kind of confidence. We need more of that these days." He smirked. "It's Neku Sakuraba, by the way."_

 _I open an eye and give a similar-looking smirk. "Xion Spades."_

A hard bump jerks me out of my daydream and I almost fall into the aisle if it isn't for Neku catching me in the nick of time. When I open my eyes, all I see is him looking down at me; a position eerily similar to the memory I just recalled moments ago. "You okay?" he asks.

I nod and hurry to my feet to see what the heck is going on. Roxas, Naminé, Zidane, and Kairi all appear from the back, equally surprised.

"What the hell was that?" Zidane asks.

Our flight attendant looks a bit panicked as well. "J-Just one second, kupo! Please be calm. We'll figure this out. Until then, please be seated for safety reasons, kupo!"

Everyone takes their seats and an air of distress looms over us. "Is everybody okay?" Roxas asks.

"Yes, we're fine," Naminé answers. "That was quite the scare, though. It felt like a meteor or somethin'."

"A meteor? Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Kairi says, hysterically grabbing her head. "Don't tell me we're gonna die up here in the middle of nowhere! What about my family? What about college? What about _prom?_ "

"Nobody's dying, okay?" Zidane says, looking slightly more serious than usual. "Let's just stay calm and collected. I'm sure it was just a slip up."

"WHAT?!" yells the flight attendant up ahead. "You're telling me that those _idiots_ forgot to install a new Shield-G?! Are you frickin' kidding me? What do you mean the engine was hit? Are you saying that we're about to crash?!" We exchange looks of confusion and worry before the flight attendant returns from the cockpit with a mechanical smile. "Don't worry, kupo! We have everything under control. Just please be patient while we try to figure this out, kupo!" She slams the door shut.

After a communal anxiety takes over, another meteor crashes into us and makes everybody nearly fall over themselves.

Zidane gulps. "Nevermind. We're screwed."

* * *

 **(PLEASE READ!)**

 **FandomSupporter15 brought this to my attention by leaving a review saying they were confused about the plot point of there being other worlds in this universe similar to the games. This was already implied back in chapter 14 but when I went back to check it, I could see how it might not be as clear. If you were confused, I'm terribly sorry about that and I went back to try to make it much clearer in the previous chapter(s). I just want to say that this plot point didn't just come out of nowhere and I did have it in mind for a while, but I will be the first to admit that I'm a scrub at world-building. Sorry about that! Basically, this universe is pretty much a realistic AU but traveling to other worlds is a common occurence, and it's basically the equivalent to flying to another state or country. It's not a fantastic or grandiose thing like in the games. Hope that clears things up ^^**

I will admit, I'm starting to lose inspiration to continue writing this.

Which is why I've been focusing on this so hard because I know the moment I give it too much of a break, it'll be on a permanent hiatus. But I'm going to try my best to finish it, mostly just to say that I was finally able to finish at the very least ONE story on this site. Luckily I have the rest of the story planned out, so at least it's not TOO grueling of a task. If I didn't have the rest of this planned, I probably would've quit by now. But there's still quite a bit more to go, so we're racing guys. Pls feed me your spirit energy x_x

So, if you couldn't already tell, I've been having a lot more free time on my hands lately lol so I've been able to get this stuff out faster. Plus, now we're getting into more of the PLOT plot now so it's easier to figure out where I'm going with it. This chapter reeks of fanfic trash but I hope it was still enjoyable/fun? Maybe? Sorta? Kinda? No? Yes?

I recently changed the cover photo and I'll be switching it every now and then. The bae **SummonerDagger88** drew that and another one for me a while ago, but I didn't want to change it to this until Roxas got some more screentime, since he was a ghost for a good bit. The past couple of chapters have been more focused on just Xion, but now things are getting back into the romance side of things. I love this picture, I think it's cute ^^ I was actually going to wait until later to actually use that picture, but screw it. I don't wanna wait anymore lol

Not so fun fact, those who read most of my fics consistently might recognize that most of the Moogle station idea here was heavily inspired by the station in my other fic, **Daybreak Academy.**

Please leave a review! It would very much appreciated to know your guys' thoughts or if you're still interested in this story! It would help me get out of this rut at least. Reviews let me know that I'm not doing this for no reason, so they never go unnoticed or taken for granted! ^^

Thanks to **ForsakenXIII, Existential Complaining, The Late Artisan, FandomSupporter15, JDI Jasper, and SummonerDagger88** for your reviews! I appreciate it a ton.

I legit want a banana rn.

 **#bananasquad**


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